Panic!
by Animic
Summary: Homeless, dirty, and hungry, the Sohmas decide to take care of a girl who desperately needs help. Before long, they realize the girl has Panic Disorder and has severe trust issues. Haru/OC.
1. Silence is not Golden

_I know. ANOTHER story. haha. I just can't get enough. I've never done a Fruits Basket fanfic before so this will be my very first. I read a HaruXOC fic and decided I wanted to write one. This is also a HaruXOC fanfic. _

_I will try to update all my stories. See, most of my stories are either finished or already half way finished. It's just a matter of getting the chapters up. By the way, I haven't had time to beta this chapter as I usually don't. So please don't murder me if they are a few mistakes. :O _

_I hope you like the first chapter! I think my OC character is a little different from other OC's. I didn't want to make her Mary-Sue and if you have read my other writing you know that my characters are usually dark and mysterious. This girl isn't evil, but she's definetely mysterious. This one is more damsel in distress though. You'll see. haha. This is set whenever they do actually still have the curse but it's SLIGHTLY going away._

_ I'm afraid I don't know exactly what to do about Rin. So, if anyone has any suggestions on why or how Haru and Rin would not be together, I'm open suggestions. _

* * *

**I**

**Silence is not Golden**

* * *

A girl snuck into the grocery store at 34 rivers street. She was dressed in black. Her clothes were far from presentable. Torn and ragged all of them. Her face was dirty and pale and her hair laid tangled down at her sides. It scarcely seemed to bother the teenager, though. The teenager was browsing suspiciously through the store. A few employees eyed her hesitantly but thought against approaching the girl. She had a rather intimidating look to her face that was clearly meant to say 'do not mess with me.'

She was browsing the bread isle in the store. In her right hand, she held two water bottles and with her left, she grabbed two small loafs of bread. When she was positive no one was around, she hid the loafs underneath her jacket and leisurely made her way towards the exit, but she was spotted.

"Thief!" someone yelled. Her eyes widened and she ran at a run. She heard an angry voice afterwards.

"I'll get this one," she heard someone say confidently. Petrified, the girl ran faster and faster, but not fast enough. Her chaser was fast. She felt herself hit and thrown to the ground viciously. She refrained from whimpering and tried to scramble to her feet, only to get pushed down again. She slowly looked up at the man who had caught her. He had white/black hair and was staring intently at her. However, when she saw her, his gaze only slightly softened.

"You…you're a girl," he said, surprised. Apparently, girls weren't normally pegged as thieves. Big surprise. Her bread and water was spread on the ground and the boy picked it up. Right on cue, her stomach grumbled and her eyes went to the ground, embarrassed. "You're hungry," he said. He finally reached the conclusion that this girl was homeless. She was only stealing the bare essentials and he felt extremely sorry for her.

The boy let out a hand for her and softly smiled at the girl. "I'm Haru," he said calmly. The girl did not return the gesture. She did not grab his hand, but stood up herself and did not respond. Haru was not used to people not responding to things. He thought perhaps that she was mute, but didn't think that was the case. He was pretty sure she just chose not to talk.

She took this as a chance to get away, leaving her bread and water behind. She would not be placed in jail for trying to survive. Haru decided to let her go for the time being. Truth be told, he would have let her take the items. She seemed very hungry. When he saw her running, he saw a policeman confront her, and that's when Haru decided to intervene.

"Thief," the policeman boomed. The policeman grabbed the girl by the back of her neck. The girl squirmed in his reach trying to get him to let her go but the policeman was rather big and didn't look like he was going to budge.

Haru came over and intervened. "I'll take it from here," he said. The policeman stopped for a second.

"Hatsuharu Sohma," he said. Many people knew of the Sohma's. They were a rather popular family for some reason.

"I was going to deal with her personally, but-" he was cut off by an action taken by the girl. The girl didn't seem to need any help. She bent under the policeman's arm and punched him in the stomach then lifted her let up to kick him in the head. The girl retrieved her freedom and ran for it. She ran towards where the bread and water were. Haru was right behind her. He grabbed her wrist as she knelt down to pick the items up. The girl lifted her leg up to try and kick him in the face but Haru dodged it.

"Please, stop," he said as she struggled. "I won't do anything to you. I promise," he said with a kind smile. The girl glared at him. It was clear she did not trust him. "Are you hungry? We will feed you," he said in a promising tone. The girl stopped budging. It was clear the girl was starving. She was skinny enough to see her bones and her tremble looked like an earthquake.

The policeman came over but Haru reasoned with him saying the stolen items would be returned and the Sohma family would take care of the girl. He seemed unconvinced but let it slide this time. There were a few other Sohmas that were in the store with Haru after he ran off to catch the thief. Haru explained what happened and the Sohmas eyed suspiciously at the girl.

"What's her name?" a girl asked. She had brown hair and a kind voice.

Haru shrugged and sighed. The girl was sitting on the ground, tracing the ground with her finger. She seemed hesitant to join the family. That much was certain. She seemed to be a rather proud being but Haru was determined to help her. He didn't really meet many young homeless girls. He felt a great amount of pity for her.

"I don't know, Tohru. She won't say. She hasn't spoken one word since I met her," he said with a defeated sigh. The girl named Tohru walked over to the girl who cringed away from her slightly. Tohru gave the girl a kind smile.

"Don't worry. We won't do anything to you. We just want to help you. Are you hungry?" With hesitance, the girl nodded. Tohru smiled and giggled happily. "Will you come with us then?" she asked with a kind tone that only Tohru could manage to strangers. The girl looked up at Tohru and then at the others, with another hesitant nod.

"Why doesn't she talk?" an orange-haired boy said as if the girl were stupid. Haru punched him slightly in the stomach and the orange-haired boy cringed forward from the sudden blow.

"Kyo, curiosity killed the cat," a calmer boy said, managing a smile.

"You're one to talk, you overgrown rodent," the orange-haired boy, Kyo, yelled at the calm one. He only laughed at the remark. Tohru frowned disapprovingly at the two boys who decided their fight could continue later. Tohru let out her hand for the girl, but she denied it again. She stood up of her own free will and glared at the group.

Haru looked at the group and nodded. "All right. Our house is that way," he said to the girl who still hadn't spoken a word. Tohru walked next to the girl and smiled. It was very rare that they had found someone who refused to speak. The girl reminded Tohru of a girl named Kisa who refused to talk until she finally broke out of her shell. Tohru had a feeling that this girl had more than just a will to not talk. There had to be something wrong.

The whole group tried to ignore the fact that the girl was deathly skinny, pale, and that her clothes were old, dirty, and torn. They didn't ask, for they were pretty sure they would get no response. It was, however, obvious that the girl had been living on the streets for some time and was starving.

"I think I shall make a large meal," Tohru said with a smile. The girl looked in her direction but gave no expression. Haru gazed puzzled towards her. He had never met someone who just refused to talk. He wondered what kind of horrors there were in her past. He could only assume that her silence had more than just a will to not speak to do with it. There was something behind her that made her be silenced so.

When they got to the house, another man was there to greet the man. The girl was slightly confused. Just how big was this family?

"Shigure!" Tohru said happily and bowed slightly to him.

"Hello there, Tohru," he said with a smile. Shigure turned towards the girl and bent down, smiling at her. "And who's this?" he asked.

The girl frowned at him. Without a word, she raised her foot and kicked him hard in the stomach. The man let out a large breath as he maintained his smile. "Well….aren't you lovely?!" he said rather dramatically, but kind at the same time. The girl stormed into the house without another word.

"Well, would you look at that?" Shigure said. "She's got some black in her too, Haru," he laughed.

Haru frowned and went inside, followed by the other two boys. When Haru entered, the girl was being tended to by Tohru who had already found her something to eat. Tohru sat next to the girl as she hate. There was no expression on her face but somehow Haru knew that the food was giving her more energy.

Once the girl had finished eating the quick thing Tohru had made, Tohru proceeded to make the entire meal for all of them. The girl was just sitting near the table keeping her eyes painfully focused in her lap. Then, her eyes would scan the room. There was fear in her face. A look of utter confusion. She looked almost sick to her stomach and her breaths were slowly getting heavier and shorter.

"What's wrong?" Haru asked. The girl lifted her hand up to punch him but Haru caught her arm. He had to admit…she was pretty strong for such a small girl. Haru noticed that she had started to sweat. The girl forced her arm out of his reach and suddenly stood up. She ran outside the house and Haru was right after her. All the people in the house were looking just as confused. What, exactly, was going on?

The girl was whimpering as she ran through the forest. She let out tiny short screams every once in a while. The world suddenly started to turn slightly and she lost her balance, falling to the ground with tears streaming down her face. She felt extremely dizzy and completely sick to her stomach. Not to mention her heart was pounding ferociously. The girl crouched into a ball and held her stomach tightly. She was in terrible pain and didn't see to have any idea as to where she even was. Her eyes scanned the area in terror. When Haru came over, she tried to scramble to her feet but failed. Haru hesitated slightly but knew he must help her. Something was going on.

Haru knelt down next to her but she got onto her feet and started running, looking behind her. However, she wasn't looking and ran into a tree and falling to the ground. Haru gasped and went over to her. The other members of the Sohma sensed the commotion and ran over to see Haru leaning next to the girl. His hand was moving some hair away from her face as he helplessly looked up at the others. Tohru instantly saw the problem.

"I got her," she said confidently. The boys exchanged looks.

"Are you sure, Tohru? We don't want you getting hurt to," one said, concerned.

"Positive, Yuki. But thank you," Tohru said. Tohru walked over to the girl and picked her up gently. The girl, not surprisingly, was not heavy at all. "She's so small and thin," Tohru said with a sigh as she took her back to the Sohma house.

The others followed Tohru and put the girl on the couch. There wasn't much else to do except wait until she woke up.

"I'm calling Hatori," Shigure said suddenly. Haru rolled his eyes. Of course. When in doubt, call Hatori. He sat next to her on a chair near the couch looking at her. Something wasn't right. He had never seen someone act like that.

* * *

**Please review and tell me how I'm doing. I've never EVER written a Fruits Basket fanfic before. I'd love to know about if my characterization is good or if I made any mistakes. It's been awhile since I read FB. Thank you so much for reading!**


	2. Trust is a broken vase

_Hello all! Thanks for reading chapter one! haha. I hope you like the main character. You'll find out her name in this one. :D You'll also find out how stubborn she is. haha. Here's when the damsel in distress comes in. _

_Usually I don't write damsel in distress things like this but at least I have her respond to it diferently than anyone else would. haha. She is a strange one. I must say I'm having fun coming up with the titles. I hope you guys like them. :D Took me awhile to come up with this one. Says everything about her though. _

**

* * *

**

**I****I**

**Trust is a broken vase **

* * *

When the girl woke up, she sat up startled. A man was next to her with black hair that she didn't recognize. She was in a place she didn't recognize and there were other people in the room staring at her.

"It's okay," the man who was next to her said with a gentle smile. "My name is Hatori Sohma. I'm a doctor. May I ask your name?" The girl looked blankly up at the man and didn't answer. Hatori sighed. "Yes, they said you didn't talk." Hatori then looked up at the others. "Does she understand us?" he asked.

The girl finally spoke. "I understand you!" she said rather defensive about it. Haru couldn't help but smile. Touchy.

Hatori grinned. "Oh, good. Then will you tell us your name?" he asked. The girl remained silent again with an intense gaze at the ones around her. "I'm sure the police know your name, I assume. Shall I ask them?" he asked. The girls eyes widened. Clearly, she had been through some difficulties with the police and would not be willing to go into their hands. This comment got the girl to talk.

"M-mikoto," she finally surrendered.

"I see. I'd like to ask you some questions, Mikoto. If you'll answer them," Hatori said. Mikoto gazed suspiciously at the Sohma family. She really just wanted to leave. Their presence was oddly unsettling. "Would a few of you mind leaving? It might make her more comfortable." Four of the Sohmas agreed and left the room. Shigure, Kyo, Yuki and Tohru. Haru seemed determined to stay. He had his arms folded and was staring intently at Mikoto.

"Is that better?" Hatori asked. Mikoto reluctantly nodded. She seemed to trust him, as he was a doctor. "I was informed that you had a little episode yesterday," he said. Mikoto did not respond but it was obvious she knew what he was talking about. "Do you have those often?" he asked. Mikoto gave a slow nod and Hatori followed the action. "When was the last time you went to see a doctor? Or…have you ever seen a doctor?" he asked. Mikoto closed her eyes and shook her head. Hatori sighed.

"Never seen a doctor?" Haru suddenly said confused. Hatori ignored him.

"Mikoto. Just a few more questions. How long have you been living on the street?" he asked. Mikoto widened her eyes as if he had reached a sensitive topic. Hatori got the hint. "Okay. How bout this? Where are your parents?"

At the mention of parents, her eyes grew even wider as she looked around, clutching the couch ferociously as if expecting something to jump out and hit or scare her. Hatori managed a sigh. It seemed very clear to him that she had run away and had some time ago. The reason was unknown, but somewhat obvious.

Hatori stood up. He didn't want to bombard with any more questions in fear that he might provoke another episode. Haru got right next to him.

"So what's wrong with her?" he asked, concerned.

Hatori frowned slightly. "I'm a doctor, not a psychologist, Haru. But if I had to guess, some kind of panic or anxiety disorder."

Hatori left the room to tell the news to the others but Haru remained. He sat where Hatori was sitting before and glanced at Mikoto. He felt like he owed her an explanation.

"After you freaked out, we took you in here. If that's alright. Hatori is our family doctor. You can trust him. He seems to think you have a Panic disorder," Haru said. Mikoto nodded.

"I do," she admitted. Haru was surprised when she spoke.

"How often do you get those panic episodes?" he asked her, concerned.

Mikoto sighed. Her eyes were on the ground. "Often," she told him with a reluctant sigh.

"Have you ever gotten treated for it?" he asked. Perhaps he had taken it too far for she didn't verbally answer this question. She only shook her head. Haru gave up and decided to leave her be for awhile. Mikoto was the type of girl that didn't like to be disturbed. Preferred her own silent shell. Haru went towards the room that Hatori exited from and went to speak with the others.

Without hesitation, Mikoto was up from the couch. She wouldn't stay here. She couldn't. Mikoto didn't trust anyone. Period. Not even a doctor. There was a window in the room she was in and she quietly opened it and jumped out instantly scrambling to her feet at a run.

* * *

"She told me she does have a panic disorder," Haru told them. "And that she gets those attacks often."

Hatori nodded. "I'm not really sure what to do. She doesn't seem to have or want to talk about her parents. It seems clear that she's been living on her own for awhile."

Yuki was thinking hardly. He knew what everyone was thinking. It was just a matter of saying it. "Why doesn't Mikoto-san stay here temporarily?"

Kyo eyed him dangerously. "Are you crazy? What if she finds out about the curse!?"

"Tohru knows," Yuki pointed out with a smile. Most people knew that Kyo and Tohru had something larger than friendship, even though they themselves wouldn't admit it.

"That's different," he said. "We don't know this Mikoto girl."

"We know that she doesn't talk. Even if she does find out, it doesn't seem like she would tell anyone," Haru said. "Think about it. She's homeless. Doesn't look like she goes to school and she doesn't have any parents, that we know of. Who would she tell?"

At this, Kyo was at a loss of words and Tohru smiled. "I think it's a great idea. But it's not really my place. This is your home."

"It's dangerous," Hatori said, clearly thinking. Haru was getting slightly angry now.

"What are you gonna do? Just throw her back on the street? She's sick and clearly hasn't been treated," Haru said. Surely they had to see his point of view.

Suddenly, they heard a crash in the room where Mikoto was in and they all rushed into the room. Mikoto was gone.

"I don't think she wants to stay here anyway," Kyo said finally with a soft chuckle.

Without another thought, Haru was out the door. This girl just wouldn't quit. He didn't understand. They had fed her, bedded her, and were kind to her. Why didn't she trust them?

* * *

Mikoto ran through the woods surrounding the house she was just in. She wasn't having a panic attack, she just didn't trust the family. Mikoto had severe trust issues. Something that traced back to her early childhood. It took her awhile to develop a steady friendship with anyone.

As she ran, she passed a group of teenage men gathered in front, blocking her path. She moved to the right slightly to run around them, but they moved as well. Mikoto stopped with a glare on her face.

"Where you headin', sweetie?" one of them asked. Her glare hardened, piercing each of the boys. There were five. She could deal with that. Two of them began to approach her, she reached down to her thigh and pulled out a dagger that she always had with her. The boys laughed as three of the five pulled out knives of their owned. Mikoto grinned. She'd been waiting for a good fight for awhile. She never made the first move. The two boys approached her still and Mikoto took an offensive stance.

She grabbed the first ones wrist and twisted it, giving him a nice good kick in the head, rendering him knocked out for the time being. The other one hit her and forced her on the ground. Mikoto swung her leg out and tripped him. She stood up quickly and held her dagger out towards his neck. He held out his hands in defence and she kicked him in the head hard as well.

"You little b*tch!" the three yelled. These were the three with knives. Mikoto smiled viciously. This could get interesting. All three of them ran towards her and Mikoto raised her eyebrows, scared. She turned around and started at a run as well. The three chased her as Mikoto struggled to retain balance.

She tripped on a root that was sticking out of the ground as the three approached her. She backed up with her dagger stretched towards them. As one of them came closer, she jabbed the dagger in his calf as the boy groaned in pain but didn't fall. One grabbed her around the mouth hard but Mikoto opened her mouth and bit him. Hard! She was putting up quite a fight throwing in her punches and kicks. Course, she took a few bad hits as well. Three against one were always tough odds.

She found herself on the ground with her dagger still in her hand. The boys were in a triangle ring above her. She was defeated but she still tried kicking anything she could. The boys only laughed. One of them grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and held her off the ground, choking her slightly.

"Hello gorgeous. We just wanted to say hello," he said with a rather evil smirk. Mikoto struggled with the arm that was holding her and tried to kick the boy but felt herself running out of oxygen as the boy cut off circulation in her neck and she could barely breath.

Suddenly, the boy who was holding her dropped to the ground, dropping Mikoto with her. A figure picked the boy up and flung him against a nearby tree. Mikoto didn't see who it was but the figure also beat up the other two boys, who went to run away. She looked up and saw the boy Haru from before. Mikoto frowned. What was it with this family?

"Mikoto, are you-" he started as he reached a hand out to help her up but she kicked him in the stomach before he could finish his sentence. Haru grabbed the foot that kicked him as Mikoto squirmed, lurking for her freedom.

"I'm not going to do anything to you. Trust me," he tried to convince her desperately but she didn't buy it.

"Let me go!" she cried.

Haru sighed, defeated. He let the girl go and she scrambled to her feet. She looked terrible. Bruised and bleeding in places but she didn't seem to notice so much. Like she had gotten used to it. The girl gave him one death glance and ran away from him. With a sigh, Haru made his way back to the Sohma house. He wasn't going to make her stay if she didn't want to.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I do hope you all like Mikoto!! I love her. She's so independant and fiery! haha. Review please! Tell me how I'm doing. Again, I've never written a Fruits Basket fic before. I'd love to know if I'm doing okay or not. I accept criticism, don't worry. But no flaming, please.**


	3. We're all Mad here

_Welcome to the third chapter of Panic! I really appreciate you for reading. I'm having a lot of fun with this story. I've never written a Fruits Basket story. Always wanted to. I've mostly been in roleplays on Gaia for Fruits Basket. haha. So I have SOME experience but not too much. I'd love to know if my characterization on Haru is right. He's the character I'm most worried about. I'm waiting for the PERFECT time for him to go completely black. It's coming up sometime. haha. I always loved Black Haru. :P _

_You get to learn a little more about Mikoto and her past family but not as much. There's an upcoming chapter where she tells what happened but I won't spoil anything. :P You learn more about her, though, eventually. haha. _

_I just wanted to tell everyone that (since I'm a photoshop junky) **I have made a photoshop banner for this story**!! In case you'd like a visual on how I"ve been picturing Mikoto. I do these for most of my stories, so it's no surprise. haha. If you go to my profile, I have a link to my photobucket album with my banners of my stories. It's not my best work, but I did it in like 10 minutes. Was rushed. :P I'd love for you to check it out. _

_Wow...long intro. Reviewers dedication are at the bottom. :D _

**

* * *

**

**I****II**

**We're all mad here**

* * *

Mikoto was at a dojo. It had been a couple weeks since she ran away from the boy and his family but it didn't bother her. Mikoto held no regrets. She had secretly been going to this dojo for a long time. Even back when she lived with her parents. It's where she gained her strength and her martial arts abilities. How she's able to defend herself easily. Well, for the most part easily. Her master didn't know much of her. He let her go there for free but knew not of her parents or even the fact that she was currently homeless.

"Hello there, Mikoto," she heard from the door. It was her sensei, Kazuma. Mikoto, in return, also didn't know much of Kazuma. She didn't come here on a consistent basis and she didn't converse with any of his other students. She always trained by herself in a room that no one ever came.

"I thought you would be here," the man smiled gently. Mikoto bowed lightly towards him. Kazuma was one of the only people that Mikoto did trust.

"How is your family?" Kazuma asked. Mikoto stiffened. Mikoto had lied to her sensei for years. Said her parents moved to Australia to do research and she was under the care of her brother, which is why he took sympathy on her. Mikoto didn't want anyone finding out about her real family. She liked to believe sometimes that she had a normal family, but normal wasn't as regular as it should be.

"I'm not sure. Haven't spoken to them in awhile," she said nervously. Technically, she wasn't lying. Mikoto hadn't spoken to her family in awhile. She had run away permanently about a year ago. Mikoto had run away from her family countless times before that, but was always caught and returned. When she was 12, she ran away and found this dojo and has been going to it ever since. First, she secretly trained at it before she was caught by Kazuma. He let her take classes for free as he didn't want to inconvenience her brother that she was supposedly living with.

"Oh, no?" he asked, somewhat concerned. Mikoto shook her head. "Well, give them my regards," he told her. Mikoto nodded nervously. Kazuma had told her to give his regards to her family many times. She never did. Mikoto felt bad to lie to Kazuma but she kind of had to.

Suddenly, the door opened and a couple boys entered the dojo. Kazuma looked over and smiled. "Ah, Hatsuharu. Good to see you," he greeted with a smile. Mikoto looked over and saw it was that boy from a couple weeks before. The boy seemed to recognize her as well.

"Mikoto?!" he exclaimed. Mikoto immediately ran out the back door and disappeared. Kazuma wasn't surprised. She disappeared like that often. Especially when strangers arrived. Mikoto didn't take well to strangers. Kazuma never asked why.

* * *

"That's Mikoto Mori," he told Haru, Kyo, and Yuki who had come to visit the dojo that day. "Do you know her?" he asked.

"Kind of. We ran into her when she was stealing something," Haru told him.

"Stealing?" Kazuma asked, rather surprised.

"We're pretty sure she's homeless. Ran away from her parents and steals food. We tried to help her, feed her and stuff, but she ran away a couple weeks ago," Haru told Kazuma. Kazuma was rather shocked at this information.

"That's odd. She told me her parents live in Australia and that she lives here with her brother. She's been coming to this dojo since she was 12," he explained. Haru, Yuki, and Kyo looked strangely at each other.

"How come we've never seen her before?" they all asked.

"She doesn't take kindly to strangers. You may have been here when she was, but she probably left soon." The boys nodded. That sounded like Mikoto. "Such a nice girl. Terrible news."

Haru sighed, his concern for her growing even still. She was lying about something. "Do you think we could help her somehow?" Haru asked.

Kazuma frowned slightly. "I have her records that she had to fill out when she became a student. She put an address down. I wonder if it's fake."

Haru brightened up at this. "Let's check it out."

* * *

Haru and Kazuma went to the address that Mikoto had put down as her home address and emergency contact. Kyo and Yuki were at the dojo still. Kyo wanted to fight Yuki and when they go at it, they're no stopping them. The house that they went towards was just like any other house. Normal. It seemed like a nice house. Haru and Kazuma went to the door and Haru knocked, expecting no response. However, a woman answered the door. She was rather unpleasant looking. A glare on her face with messy black hair.

"What do you want?!" she said rather crossly.

"Uhm, yes. Is Mikoto Mori here?" Haru asked. The lady chuckled slightly.

"She's at school," she said. Haru found that odd as it was a Saturday, but Kazuma didn't find it weird at all.

"When will she be back?" he replied with a smile.

"Well, she left a year ago, so we're expecting her back any minute now," she said rather sarcastically. Haru's face turned to a frown.

"I see," Kazuma replied. "Thank you for your time."

Kazuma and Haru left the house leaving the lady to slam the door. If these were Mikoto's parents then he surely couldn't blame Mikoto for leaving. They seemed to not care at all. It didn't seem to strike them odd that two men came asking for their daughter who's been missing for a year and she didn't even care to ask if they had seen her. It was like they didn't even care. She reminded him of the parents that some of the Sohma's had.

Kazuma and Haru didn't speak a word as they headed back to the dojo. They were both in deep thought. It seemed that they both cared for the girl. As his student, Kazuma was worried. She had lied to him all these years. Kazuma didn't like to pry. He had always suspected things. Sometimes the girl came with bruises and scratches, or her clothes were torn. He didn't bother to ask. She was already a damaged girl. He didn't want to bring up any bad memories but he was now starting to realize that he should have asked from the very beginning.

Haru had gotten rather fond of the silent helpless girl. Whenever he saw her, he felt a need to protect her. To tell her that it was going to be all right. The girl looked so damaged. It was heart breaking. He may never see her again, either. This girl seemed truly afraid of all of them. As if she didn't trust anyone.

On their way through the woods and back to the dojo, they heard someone whimpering in the shadows. Haru looked strangely at Kazuma and they both followed the sound. It was Mikoto and by the looks of it, she was having another one of her panic attacks. She was clutching her stomach, curled up in a ball on the ground and her eyes were shut tight in pain. Haru wondered just how often she suffered through these. It was obvious she'd never been given any medication for them. Without any medication, they must happen more often and more severe. It was so sad.

"I'll get her," Kazuma assured. Haru would have carried her, but as most people know, he would turn into a cow which would probably just make her freak out more. Kazuma picked the girl up and she immediately clung to him in fear. But she wasn't scared of Kazuma. It seemed as if she was comforted by him. Mikoto clutched Kazuma's shirt as he carried her back to the dojo, Haru following closely.

When they arrived, Kazuma laid her on one of the beds in the room. She had fallen into a restless sleep, whimpering and tossing and turning in her sleep. It was sad to watch. Haru sat next to her while she slept. Such a painful sleep to watch but Kazuma said someone was to keep an eye on her in case she woke up. Which, eventually, she did.

She woke up with a start, gasping as if waking up from a bad dream. When her eyes laid on Hatsuharu, who was sitting next to her bed, she immediately drew her legs towards her and leaned against the wall, burying her face into her knees. Haru didn't understand. Why was she so skittish of everything.

"Mikoto, try to relax," he said remaining calm. He reached out hand and put some hair behind her ears. The girl withdrew even further into her shell and Haru sighed. "Am I so terrifying?" he asked. Haru didn't understand. Was he being mean to her? He had tried all he could to be kind to her. For some reason, he scared her.

Mikoto peered over her knee and stared at the boy, who was now staring at the ground. She felt sort of bad for the boy. He had been kind to her, but that just wasn't the way Mikoto worked. It took a lot to gain her trust. "It's not you," she finally said to him. "It's me."

Haru seemed somewhat happy by this information. At least he wasn't being mean to her. Black Haru was always a scary person to come across. Many people who see him that way don't come back from it. He was slightly Black whenever he beat down the kids that were beating her a couple weeks ago. But he recovered fairly quickly.

"You're not the only insane one," he assured her, referring to her mental illness of having a Panic Disorder. "I sort have…severe Bipolar issues," he said with a small laugh. Mikoto managed to smile which made Haru smile too. He had never seen her smile before. It was a gentle soothing smile. It looked genuine. She must have not smiled much, but she looked beautiful in Haru's opinion. She didn't say anything, but he knew she appreciated the gesture. However, he felt like he needed to tell her what he did that day. That he visited her parents.

"Kazuma and I stopped by your parents house today," he told her. Mikoto's eyes widened in fear and astonishment. She didn't understand how they found out where her parents lived and Haru sensed she was wondering that. "We got the address from the one you put down as your home and emergency contact address from you martial arts documents." He paused for a long time and looked at her. "You've been living on the streets for a year?" he asked.

Mikoto stirred uncomfortably. Not many people knew of her past besides her parents. Reluctantly, Mikoto nodded slowly. Haru sighed miserably.

"Can I ask you something?" Haru asked. Again, she nodded. "I know you'll probably say no but it is dangerous to be out on the streets alone. Especially with a condition that you have. Kazuma and I wanted to ask you….if you'd be willing to stay here for awhile with Kazuma. He'd take care of you. You'd get good meals, a good sleep, baths. Hatori might even be able to get some prescription pills for your condition. I'd probably stop by to visit every so often. We're not going to force you to stay but Kazuma really cares for you," he told her.

Haru figured that since she had some trust issues, she might feel better choosing if she stays or not. Before, they took her to the Sohma house assuming that she would want to stay because she wanted a home. But that wasn't the case. At least here, she felt familiar with the surroundings. She'd been to the dojo before and was friends with Kazuma. Was comfortable with him. If she had the choice to stay, she might have been more willing to.

"I….I'll stay," Mikoto said.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Review and tell me how I'm going or what I could improve. I love CC. _

_My sincere thanks goes to..._

_**music controls me:** Thanks for the review! I thought Panic disorder would be a good idea because Haru has bipolar issues. I thought it would be a good match because they would be similar in that sort of way. Thanks again. :D_


	4. Happiness is Letting Go

_Hi!!! Thanks for reading! I'm really taking a liking to this story! I hope I stay dedicated to it and I hope you're liking it. _

_Once again, I have a banner for this story, in case your interested on looking at it. It's not much, but I usually like visuals of what my characters look like. Btw: Black Haru is coming up shortly. Maybe not next chapter but the chapter after that. I'm still trying to come up with a good way that he turns black. I'll come up w/ something. Don't worry about Egg. :P_

_Revew dedications at bottom! Enjoy chapter 4!!_

* * *

**IV**

**Happiness is Letting Go**

_

* * *

_

So, Mikoto stayed to everyone's surprise. It was clear she refused to stay with anyone except for Kazuma, her sensei. They seemed to have somewhat of a bond. Something Haru envied. He knew her much longer than Haru had. In fact, Haru had only known her for about a month now and he hadn't seen much of her in fact. He didn't visit the dojo simply because he knew that she probably didn't want to see him. She was always somewhat distant from everyone.

"I brought you some lunch," Kazuma said, entering her temporary room with a tray of food. Mikoto was curled in the corner of the room, hugging her knees tightly. Kazuma sighed. They had asked her time and time again what indeed happened in her past that traumatized her so, but she never breathed a word. It was sad, to see the girl in such mental pain.

Mikoto nodded at Kazuma and didn't say a word, but he knew that she was thankful. She didn't move towards the tray, though. Not yet. Mikoto never liked to eat in front of Kazuma. Kazuma assumed that it was because she was so ashamed of having to live off of someone else's care. That she couldn't take care of herself.

Sure enough, as soon as Kazuma left, Mikoto went to the tray of food and passively ate the noodles. It felt warm and fulfilling in her stomach. One day, Haru came to visit. He took a long breath before he entered the dojo and was immediately greeted by Kazuma.

"Ah, Hatsuharu," he said with a smile.

"Sensei," the boy said with a small nod. The boy held a white container that Haru could enclose with his first. Kazuma seemed to know what it was.

"Medication for Mikoto?" he asked. Haru nodded. He was about to ask where Mikoto was but Kazuma answered for him. "She's in there," he said and pointed to a room with a white door. Haru nodded to Kazuma who smiled. Haru only slightly gulped. This girl didn't usually take a liking to him. She didn't take a liking to anyone, it seemed, except for Kazuma. He hadn't tried to speak to her since she moved in with Kazuma, assuming she would be find, but Haru still felt himself wanting to visit her to make sure she was okay.

He opened the door slowly causing a creak. He heard her jump and sighed. Anything and everything made this girl so skittish. It broke his heart a little. When he entered, he saw that she had positioned herself in the most secluded corner of the room. She had her arms wrapped around her legs and looked as if she were to cry any minute. However, she looked clean. No dirt was on her face. She had new clothes on and seemed to be a little fed. She looked less pale than before. That, at least, made him feel better.

"I brought you some medication," he told her. The girl only looked strangely at him. It didn't seem that she knew what he was talking about. "For your panic disorder."

Haru had assumed that Mikoto had been fine with the idea of taking medication for her illness, but she suddenly seemed to silently protest. He looked at her with worried eyes.

"I'm not going to force you to take it. Don't worry," he said in a low calm voice. He began to slowly understand Mikoto now. If you tried to force her to do anything, she would recoil and refuse. If you let her choose whether or not she wanted to do something, she'd normally end up doing what you wanted her to do in the first place. You just had to give her the option. "But Hatori thinks you should take them. It says it will lessen the extent of your anxiety. He says that your panic attacks are caused by sudden anxiety attacks and says that the medication will help your anxiety stay low so you don't get as many panic attacks hopefully."

Mikoto took all this information in and only nodded. Her eyes were glued to the ground and she bit the right side of her lip. Haru was sitting on the bed and Mikoto was curled up in the corner. She felt like such a wimp. Here Haru was, trying to help her. It was how she always was, though. How she will always be.

"Thank you," she said. Haru smiled. He loved listening to her when she talked. Since she didn't speak a lot, it seemed like a treat to the ears when she did. Made you feel like you were doing something right because she acknowledged you for it. Her voice was beautiful in Haru's opinion. He did wish she would start to open up to him and try to let a friend in. She didn't seem to have any friends and it looked as if she might need one.

"You're welcome," he said with a small friendly smile. It made Mikoto smile too which warmed Haru's heart. Her smile was just as pretty as she was. If only she used it more often. However, he wondered if she rarely had a time that she could smile about something. Why would you smile if your whole life was a disaster? He knew something was the matter with her, but he didn't think she would share. In fact, he knew she wouldn't. But she needed a friend now more than ever.

"Listen, I didn't just come here to give you these," he said, gesturing to the pills. The girl looked blankly at him. "I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out with me and a couple of my cousins. We were gonna go to an amusement park. I was just…just thought you seemed a little trapped here."

Haru didn't expect her to come, but he did want to offer. He felt terrible, seeing her here like this. She looked completely miserable. Mikoto had been here for about two weeks now and she still wasn't used to this environment. According to Kazuma, she had a panic attack almost every other day, if not every day. It broke both of their hearts.

Mikoto wasn't sure what to say. She had never really went to 'hang out' officially with anyone ever. Not once. Mikoto didn't have any friends. Not even when she was a child. It was oddly unsettling. It was a learning process for her. Just like reading or writing. If you've never read or written anything, you have to learn it. That's what Mikoto was going to have to do.

"I'd like that," she finally said. It made both of them smile. Haru walked over to her and held his hand out for her to pull herself up with. Hesitantly, Mikoto grabbed his arm and Haru slowly pulled her up. He was surprised that she took the help. Mikoto seemed too independent and prideful to accept help, but he thought she was finally beginning to see that she did need help. She'd needed it for a long time now.

"Thank you," she said. Haru nodded at her and led the way out the room, holding the door open for her. They ran into Kazuma on their way out and they both bowed.

"Have a good time,," Kazuma said with a smile. "Say hi to Kyo and Yuki for me."

Haru nodded at Kazuma. Mikoto gave a hidden smile at Kazuma. She was just getting used to all these new people. It was a little overwhelming for her, honestly.

They met up at the entrance to the park. There were people there that Mikoto had recognized from before and others she had never seen before. Mikoto was usually good at remembering names, though. She was pretty sure she recognized the people named Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru. There were three little kids that she hadn't recognized that were there. One of the little boys ran up to the two of them with a smile on his face.

"Haru! Is this the Mikoto girl you talk about all the time?!" the boy said, seeming very excited. Haru felt himself get extremely embarrassed.

"You don't know when to shut it, do you Momiji?" Kyo said angrily.

"Waahh," Momiji cried. "Kyo's picking on me." With that, Momiji grabbed the Tohru girls hand and hid behind her.

"Oh, he's just trying to be friendly, Kyo-kun," Tohru said with a sweet smile. Kyo folded his arms and rolled his eyes aggravated.

"So you have a panic disorder?" the other young boy said. He laughed darkly as if he disapproved of her. "Pathetic."

"Be nice, Hiro," Haru said through gritted teeth.

Mikoto was instantly overwhelmed by all the attention she was receiving. Haru seemed to notice and he made a slight notion at his cousins to lay off her. They seemed to get the hint. They didn't want to make Haru angry, for they knew what would happen if they did.

"Come on, then," Tohru said encouragingly. "Let's have ourselves some fun."

The others instantly left, leaving Haru and Mikoto outside the entrance. Haru looked guiltily over at Mikoto. He knew she disliked strangers. She was so introverted, he forgot sometimes.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "They have very different ways of welcoming new people."

Mikoto managed a smile. "That's okay. Everyone does."

Haru and Mikoto entered the fair. He would have hung out with his cousins the whole day but he didn't want to force Mikoto to be around him. As far as he thought, she seemed to be comfortable around him now. He didn't want her freaking out from all these new people.

Haru was basically talking about all his cousins. Not mentioning that they were all cursed, of course. He still didn't know what he was going to do about that but so far everything was fine. She didn't know about the curse, and hopefully Akito wouldn't find out about her. Akito had problems with outsiders. He was never sure why.

"Momiji is as hyper as a rabbit," Haru said, mentally slapping himself when he said rabbit. "Always full of energy. A good kid though. Kind to everyone."

Mikoto nodded. "He does seem that way," she said with a slight smile. As if on cue, Momiji came rushing past them followed by Kyo. Momiji was laughing but Kyo looked positively aggravated.

"You need to learn to shut your trap, Momiji!" Kyo yelled as he chased Momiji until he was out of Haru and Mikoto's site. Mikoto chuckled at the scene. Haru was right. Momiji did seem to be full of energy.

"You want to ride a ride?" Haru asked Mikoto. She looked over at him and nodded. Mikoto had never been to a fair before. If she has, she didn't remember. "You pick," he told her.

Mikoto frowned, trying to see which ride she wanted to ride. "Have you been here before?" she asked. He nodded. "Whatever roller coaster is the fastest, then," she told him.

He took her to Haru's favourite roller coaster. The tallest one, the fastest one, and the scariest one. Mikoto didn't seem to object. Throughout the entire ride, Mikoto barely even got scared. He was impressed. She was always so skittish and nervous but never scared. Never.

When they got off, Mikoto was flattening her hair back down and Haru caught her smile. Not a small smile but a rather energetic happy smile in which he hadn't ever seen before. He liked that smile better than the small quick ones she usually gave.

"That was fun," she exclaimed.

"I'm glad," Haru told her.

"There you guys are!" someone said, clearly aggravated. It was Kyo followed by the rest of the Sohma family members.

"Mikoto!" Momiji exclaimed. "Did you go on the roller coaster? Was it fun?! I bet it was! I'm not tall enough to ride it yet, though."

Mikoto smiled at the young boy. He seemed so kind and sweet. Haru was right, though. He could be easily related to a rabbit.

"Are you always this energetic?" she said with a smile.

Momiji laughed. "Usually."

"Usually?!" Kyo said, annoyed. "You're like that every single second of the day!"

"I'm guessing we're leaving, then?" Haru asked the group, ignoring Kyo's ignorant insults. Yuki nodded.

"It's getting a bit late and Tohru still has to go to work," Yuki said. Tohru widened her eyes.

"Oh, no please! Don't let me be the reason you have to go. I can leave by myself. The rest of you should just enjoy yourselves here. It's not a problem at all," she said with a genuine smile. Kyo rolled his eyes with you.

"We're going with you, Tohru. At least I am," Kyo said definitely. Tohru smiled at Kyo

"I can even walk with you to work, Tohru!" Momiji said happily.

They all agreed to leave, even after Tohru insisted she would be fine. Haru decided to walk Mikoto home. They were silent for awhile as they walked through the dusk setting. Haru was side-glancing at her the whole time. Today seemed to really have a positive affect on her. She had actually talked more and he was beginning to finally figure who she was.

"Did you have fun today?" he asked her.

"I did."

"You seem to be getting better," he admitted. She looked at him, confused.

"Better?"

"It's just…well…you were so hesitant when I first met you."

The girl nodded. "I can be like that at first. It takes awhile for me to trust people," Mikoto admitted.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her.

Mikoto pondered this for awhile. "I haven't decided yet."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I hope you liked the chapter! I wanted to have somekind of environment where Mikoto breaks free sort of. My sincere thanks goes to: _

_**Miyuki Sohma:** Thanks for the fav. and the review!! I thought the same thing about the Panic Disorder. Two mentally insane ppl fit well together, I think. haha. :D Thanks again! I'm so glad you like it!!_


	5. Door of Despair

_This chapter you find out more about Mikoto's past. I hope you like this chapter!! Not much of an intro today as I'm being rushed out the door by my friend. lol. _

* * *

**V**

**Door to Despair**

* * *

Mikoto was growing in her shyness. The numbers of the Sohma family quickly overwhelmed her that she retreated back into her shell once more. She refused to take her medication that Hatori got subscribed for her. It worried Hatori greatly. She had frequent panic attacks that were often caused by her frequent anxiety that she got. The medication was supposed to deplete how often she got anxiety and hopefully how many panic attacks she received. Mikoto didn't trust the medication. It was like anything else. Mikoto didn't trust every easily. Not at all.

She remained in her room at the dojo for the majority of the time and for now, she was under the care of Kazuma. School was about to start soon and Kazuma was debating on whether or not she would try to get her to attend. He wanted to her get out of her shell and start learning. The only person other than Kazuma that Mikoto was willing to talk to without getting a panic attack was Haru. They've become rather close over the past couple weeks. Haru visited Mikoto often and they've become good friends. It warmed Kazuma's heart. Mikoto had been in desperate need of a friend her age and Haru was just that.

Haru entered the door as it creaked. He saw Mikoto lying on her bed, instead of the corner. She was sitting cross legged looking at the bed sheets. When the door opened, she looked up and smiled softly. Mikoto seemed less stressed out recently. Haru liked to think it was because of him but he didn't want to get cocky.

"School is about to start," was the first thing he said.

"Yes," she said calmly. She was clearly deep in thought, though. "Kazuma told me he wants me to attend." Mikoto didn't seem to enthusiastic or excited. She seemed very nervous which was perfectly normal. Someone who had never been to a certain school before. It was a complete change in scenery, and Haru knew that for her it was a big deal. She was afraid of getting a panic attack at school. Haru was afraid of that too.

"We would all be there at the school," he said, trying to comfort her. He was of course talking about his cousins, but he didn't know if that would make her feel any better. "I'll be there." Haru wasn't sure if that would cheer her up either. Her expression stayed the same, but deep down Mikoto was slightly grateful. Haru always had a difficult time reading her. Normally, he was good at telling people's moods and what they thought of him. Mikoto was a mystery. Someone he could never, for the life of him, guess just what was going on in her mind.

"I've never been to school," she admitted. Her head sank low and avoided his eye contact.

"Never?" he asked, surprised. "Not even when you were a kid?" Then, he thought of that woman he met when he went to visit her old house. Her mother. She seemed very angry and cruel. When he remembered that, he wasn't that surprised. But before he had always assumed that everyone went to school. Regardless of their parents. Perhaps he was wrong.

"I was home schooled," she lied. Mikoto was never home-schooled, nor had she ever been to public school. Her parents always said she was home-schooled to avoid suspicion. They just didn't want to pay for her education and they didn't want to supply it either.

Haru took much note of the word was. It killed him not knowing exactly what happened when she was a child. Where she came from. Or the exact reasons that she ran away. Not a guess, but specifics. He felt so distant from her, even though they had become better friends. He felt as if he hardly knew her still.

"Mikoto, how long has it been since you've seen your parents?" he asked her sincerely. Haru knew the answer. A year. When he visited that woman, she said that Mikoto had been gone for a year. Haru just wanted to see if she trusted him enough to not lie to him. For he wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"A year," she said lowly. Her eyes avoided his completely. It was the truth, though. Mikoto had ran away a year ago, but had run away countless times before that. Always caught.

Haru knew she told the truth and it made him happy. So, she did trust him after all. Normally, he wouldn't have taken the simple fact of someone telling him to truth so emotionally, but this was Mikoto. Mikoto usually never spoke or told people of herself. She was so withdrawn and skittish. So timid. It was quite an honour that she told him the truth. It showed that she was beginning to trust him finally.

Mikoto started to shake a bit and her breaths slowly became heavier and shorter. Anxiety. He must have been crossing some boundaries of her past. It made him feel terrible. He couldn't think of anything to do, but he didn't want her to have a panic attack. Without thinking, Haru slowly reached out and grabbed her trembling hand with both of his. He rubbed her arm slightly. Her breathing started to slow down and the shaking stopped. Haru sighed of relief.

"It's okay," he assured her friendly. "Don't tell me anything you're not comfortable with." Mikoto nodded. This was the thing with Mikoto. You couldn't force her to do anything. Mikoto took everything personally. No matter if you were trying to be nice or not. A few tears escaped her eyes and Haru looked at her sadly. She looked miserable when she cried. As if she were Atlas, holding up the sky. Haru knew that there had to have been true terrors in her past. Terrors she was possibly too scared to even speak of. Why else would she be so hesitant to people? Her past has definitely had a long-standing effect on her personality and her ability to shy away from people. Haru lifted his right hand and wiped a few tears away with his thumb. He tried not to notice the scars on her arms. There were even a few on her face that he only just took notice of. He didn't want to ask, but he was worried about her. Very.

"I'm sorry," she said through tears.

"Don't be," Haru told her confidently. "It's okay to cry, Mikoto."

Mikoto was taught much differently. She was always told not to cry. That it was a weakness and was fiercely beaten if she cried. It was always followed by her constant apologies that were never enough and usually made it worse. He let her cry for awhile. Her constant apologies burst out with Haru continually assuring her that it was okay. That he didn't care.

"I don't understand," she finally said as her tears started to die down. He had her hand encased in both of his still. It made Mikoto feel slightly better.

"What don't you understand?" he asked.

"Why….your family is….so kind," she explained. Haru's eyes looked painfully at her. Of course. She didn't understand why their family could be like that because she'd never known one to be like that. Hers must have been so cruel.

Haru sighed. "Mikoto, do you trust me?"

"I do," she said slowly as if wondering where this was going. She seemed to know, though.

"I don't understand. What happened to you?" he finally found himself to ask. "Why are you so timid. Why were you homeless and why did you run away from your family?"

Mikoto knew this question would come up eventually. Of course he would be curious. Mikoto was sure the entire family was worried about her. Honestly, she never thought about how she would explain it. So much had happened. So much pain. How could she describe that?

Haru sensed her hesitation and already felt bad for asking. "I'm not going to force it out of you, Mikoto. But…I do care about you and I'd like to know. I want to help."

Mikoto bit the right side of her lip. Mikoto trusted Haru. More than anyone. Possibly more than Kazuma. Over the weeks that she'd lived here and him visiting, she felt happy. Mikoto hadn't felt this happy in her whole life. It was a bliss feeling. Many times she contemplated telling him sooner but always found herself tripping on her words and couldn't manage to give away her secrets. Mikoto always found it hard to open up to people. That they wouldn't accept her. Her parents had that hold on her. They didn't respect her or like her in any way. The feeling was mutual and eventually Mikoto began to disrespect, distrust, and shy away from everyone else.

"I suppose you deserve to know, Haru. You've been so kind to me," she took a deep breath and started her story. "When I was a child, my family got into a car accident. My father and brother died upon impact but my mother was still alive. But…she got knocked into a coma." Mikoto had to stop slightly as she remembered. "She hasn't come to since. I survived, miraculously, but I've been having panic attacks ever since that day. I was five years old," she told him. Small tears fell down her cheeks as she remembered. The memories from that day was slowly decreasing. She could only remember certain details. Mikoto still remembered the last words each of her family members said. They didn't have any particular importance. It was just your normal average family car conversation.

**_-Flashback-_**

_ "I'm going to be the best ninja there ever was!" her brother, Kaikou, said. Kaikou was two years older than Mikoto and currently started his martial arts lessons. He was only a yellow belt but he was determined to be a black belt one day. _

_ "I'm sure you will, son," her father said. "Maybe someday you'll beat me," her father said with a small chuckle. _

_ "Is that a challenge?" Kaikou asked with a smile. _

_ "My bet goes to Kaikou. Sorry, honey," Mikoto's mother said with a small smirk towards her husband. _

_ "How about you, Miki?" Kaikou asked her. "When are you gonna start your training?" _

_ "As soon as my school year starts," she said to Kaikou with a small smile. _

_ After that…it happened. A car came ahead of them towards the front left of our car and we slammed together at a head on collision. _

**_-End of Flashback-_**

"So who did you live with after that?" Haru asked. Mikoto shivered as she remembered the memories and then jolted herself back to real life.

"My mother's sister and her husband," she said with hatred.

Mikoto missed her family. Her brother and her were very close. In fact, one of the reasons Mikoto was determined to join Kazuma's dojo was to fulfil Kaikou's wish. To become the best ninja there ever was. Mikoto wasn't a ninja, but she was good. She was a black belt, which was what Kaikou always dreamed of possessing. Mikoto's only determination was her brother.

"So, your aunt and uncle?" Haru asked. Mikoto nodded. Normally, Aunts and Uncles were great, but it wasn't so with Mikoto. She looked scared to even mention them.

"I…" Mikoto stuttered. "It was awful," she said. More tears escaped down her cheeks as she remembered her aunt and uncle. Such terrible people. It was times like this that Haru wished he could hug her. Comfort her. But he couldn't. It killed him inside. A: he would turn into a cow, which might trigger some alarms. And B: Haru didn't know how she would respond to the embrace. Mikoto didn't seem like the kind of person who wanted hugs in the first place.

"So you ran away," he concluded.

"I tried to run away permanently till I was twelve, but they always caught me. This time I ran further away, so they couldn't find me."

"I won't let them find you, Mikoto," he told her. Haru didn't know why she ran away. However, if it was bad enough to rather run away and be homeless then to live with them, it must have been terrible. This comment seemed to cheer her up. She grasped the hand that Haru was holding her with and buried her face in it.

"Thank you," she said. She fought more tears. Mikoto felt so weak. She had never cried this much before. Mostly because she usually tries to bottle up her feelings. Hide them. However, once those gates opened…it's just hard to close them. Haru was about to ask her about what her aunt and uncle did to her when she answered for him.

"My aunt hated my mother. Despised her. I guess you could say I was her revenge. They didn't have any kids so it was just me. My aunt…she beat me. Frequently. My uncle…he was much worse. He…" her description was interrupted by her sudden pause, realizing she wasn't quite ready to revisit that part of her life yet. Not yet.

Haru looked at her in pain. Clearly, she was traumatized by the way her aunt and uncle treated her. It held such a terrible hold on her. He wished he could make all the bad things in her life disappear. He didn't want to push any more pain towards her. Make her remember anything else. It was painful for her to say it, and it was painful for him to listen and watch.

"That's awful," he told her sincerely. Haru held her hand tighter and she squeezed back. "Mikoto. I promise you. I won't let that ever happen again. I understand you now. Why it's so hard for you. Thank you…I know it wasn't easy to relive it. But thank you."

Mikoto looked up at him through eyes with tears being fought away. Haru thought she even looked beautiful when she cried.

"Haru…your family is a kind one. I've never known such care." she paused for awhile. "I think I will go to school," she told him. Haru smiled at her. He was glad she decided to do so.

"That's great," he said calmly. "It starts this Monday. I'll pick you up, if that's okay."

"Yes, I wouldn't have it any other way," Mikoto said.

"Don't worry. The kids at school are just as kind as we are. I'm sure Tohru will introduce you to her friends Uo and Hana." Mikoto hesitantly nodded. She wasn't that sure. She may be open to friendship with Haru, but she wasn't too sure how she would react to anyone else. She was still very distrusting of people. That part of her would never go away, she thought. Not very easily anyway.

"It'll be okay," he assured her. She wanted to believe him but not all people were as nice as Haru was. "I should go," he told her Mikoto nodded. He went towards the exit as she crawled into bed. It was getting a bit late. Haru turned off the lights and smiled. "Good night, Mikoto."

* * *

_Hope you liked!! Little more serious in this chapter but the Mikoto/Haru friendship is growing. Eek! haha. Review??_


	6. Two Realities to Accept

_Hey! Sorry it took so long! I had a bit of trouble deciding what all I wanted to happen in this story. I changed it quite a bit actually. I hope you guys still like it, though. It was originally planned to be two chapters but I squeezed the two together. I hope it's okay. It's kind of long, though, but oh well. Life's tough. :P And more Panic! for you to read. The more, the better, right??_

_Well, enjoy! Thanks for reading!_

* * *

**VI**

**Two Realities to Accept**

* * *

Haru went over to Kazuma's dojo on the first scheduled day of school. He wasn't sure what all was going to happen. Haru knew Mikoto had issues with people and how often she got panic attacks from the stress but Haru hoped this would be a good experience for her. As of now, Haru was the only person Mikoto talked to on a consistent basis that was her age. It made him worried. People are social animals and she's missing out on some of the best years of her life.

Haru opened the door to see Mikoto sitting on her bed. She had the school uniform on which made her look very cute. However, she didn't seem to be very fond of it. As usual, she sat as stiff as a board on the bed with her hands in her lap. Mikoto was staring at her hands, shaking slightly. She was nervous.

"It's going to be all right," he told her. Haru walked over towards her and sat down on the bed giving her a soft smile. He slowly took her hand in his and squeezed it slightly trying to comfort her.

"You promise?" she asked. Her voice quivered as she forced the words out. Oh yes, she was very nervous.

"I promise," he said with a gentle smile. Haru helped her up slightly and led her out of the dojo. Then, they started walking towards school. They talked in silence for awhile. Truthfully, they were both worried about the day. Haru did not want her to have a panic attack. Especially if he wasn't there with her. Mikoto was worried obviously. She always had panic attacks when she was in an unfamiliar place. So, they occurred often. However, she's been having less and less the longer she has stayed with the Sohmas. It's getting slightly familiar to her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have any.

"I'm in most of your classes," Haru said. "Hatori had a chat with the school principal and explained the situation. They thought you would respond better and be a little more calm if I was with you the majority of the time. I mean…you might have less panic attacks," he said.

Mikoto was comforted by this information. She was a very skittish and timid girl. Haru usually helped calm her down. Help her decrease the intensity of her panic attacks and, if she was having a panic attack, he was pretty good at getting her out of it.

When they got to school, she immediately became withdrawn. Her eyes were focused on the ground the majority of the morning and her hands were fidgeting together nervously. They had met up with Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, and Momiji. They all went to the school apparently. Tohru did her best to be kind but it didn't really help much.

"It'll be all right," Tohru said, smiling. "The people at this school are very kind."

Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were all a year older than she was. Mikoto was in Haru and Momiji's grade. However, Mikoto found it impossible to believe that Momiji was the same age as she was. He looked like a child and, however terrible she felt to say it, a girl. Mikoto heard the bell ring and all the Sohmas dispersed. Momiji exclaimed he was going to a different class as Haru grabbed her hand softly. He never took it in front of the Sohmas. Mikoto couldn't blame him.

Mikoto felt very comforted by this action. It wasn't so much that she considered Haru her boyfriend. She didn't know how she felt about him. He was currently just a very good friend. Always there for her. His presence calmed her and she supposed that's what friends were supposed to do. They were supposed to make you feel welcome.

Haru, on the other hand, felt slightly different. He had started to grow feelings for her that he couldn't really understand. He felt extremely protective over Mikoto. Like a bear with it's cubs. He just wanted to help her and while at first he considered her as a friend, he was starting to have small feelings for her. However, he controlled himself. Right now, Mikoto didn't seem the type to welcome such behaviour. He didn't really blame her, honestly.

"Come on. It's going to be okay. I'm right here," he told her. Mikoto gave a nervous nod as he led her into her first class.

Mikoto, miraculously, survived the entire day without any panic attacks, as Haru was with her the entire time. However, there was eventually some bad news. Haru shared that the only class he did not have with her was the last class. He still walked her to the class but he felt terrible about it. Mikoto assured him that it was alright, but she wasn't so sure that she assured herself very good. He left her, feeling terrible, and then walked to his own class. Mikoto gathered all her nerve and entered the classroom. Immediately, she was recognized.

"Mikoto!" a boy came up to her screaming. It was Momiji. So, at least she would know at least someone. Mikoto was somewhat comfortable around Momiji. He was a familiar face and that's all that mattered. "I didn't know that you were in this class! This is great! Now we get to see each other every day! Here, you can sit by me!" And with that, Momiji grabbed the girls hand and led her over to a seat near his. Mikoto smiled and sat down. She was alright without Haru. She found out that she didn't need him there all the time and perhaps it would bring her out of her shell a little bit.

So, Mikoto survived her first day of school without an attack. When her last class was over, Momiji led her to where the Sohma members met after school to walk home. However, when they got there, they interrupted a fight going on between Kyo and Haru. Mikoto squinted slightly. She'd never seen Haru be so aggressive like this. She had always seen him as kind and gentle, but never as viscious as he seemed to be now.

Kyo and Haru were mouthing inappropriate words to each other as Mikoto, wide-eyed, made her way to Yuki who was standing watch.

"What happened?" Mikoto asked, concerned.

Yuki sighed. "Kyo said something to anger Haru, which shouldn't surprise you, and Haru took it personally, which also shouldn't surprise you. So, Haru went black."

Mikoto widened her eyes, confused. "Black?" she asked dumbly. The fight didn't seem to phase Yuki at all, so it left Mikoto feeling a bit more calm about the fight. They must do this often, then.

"Haru has a bipolar issue. Whenever he turns aggressive, we call him Black Haru. Just a fun nickname, but Black Haru is very destructive and rude which makes Kyo even more angry. Makes you wonder….who really is the lesser of the two evils?" Yuki said with a smile.

Mikoto frowned, even more confused, and turned her attention back on the fight. They both seemed to be pretty well matched, Haru and Kyo. Although, Haru seemed much more focused on the fight. Kyo just seemed pissed off and shouted unintelligent comments that Haru didn't even seem to care about. Haru definitely looked different, though, that was for sure.

"They're both pretty strong," Mikoto noted to Yuki.

"Or equally weak," Yuki said in his calm soothing voice. Mikoto managed a soft chuckle. This seemed to catch Haru's attention. Immediately, Kyo was thrown to the floor as Haru made his way over to Mikoto.

"Hey there, gorgeous," he said with a seductive grin and a twinkle in his eye. He held out his finger and grazed her chin with a jerky smile. Mikoto glared at him. She lifted her hand and punched Haru but Haru caught her wrist before anything could happen and smirked even louder.

"You're feisty," he said flirtatiously. "I like that." Haru suddenly leaned in towards her about to forcefully place a kiss on her lips when Mikoto reacted. She pulled up on the wrist that was holding her and punched him straight in the nose. Haru suddenly withdrew his stance and held his hands to his nose. She knelt onto the ground and put her foot out viciously, causing him to trip and fall to the ground. When he fell, Mikoto kicked him in the stomach a couple times. Finally, Black Haru started to fade and White Haru came back, wincing from the kicks.

Haru pulled himself up, holding his nose realizing it was either broke or she just broke some cartilage. Either way, it hurt badly.

"You just beat up Black Haru, which is more than I can say for Kyo," Yuki said impressed. Kyo was up now and glared at Yuki.

"I could have beaten him if I wanted to you damn rat! You wanna go right now, Yuki! Come on! Fight me you stupid rodent!" Yuki sighed and Yuki and Kyo instantly became entranced in their battle. Haru was now staring at Mikoto who looked very angry. Her fists were clenched and her breaths were heavy.

"Sorry, Mikoto," he said, pausing for awhile. "I'm a very different person when I turn black," he exclaimed. Haru was silently impressed though. He was pretty strong when he was Black Haru. Then again, he took note of the fact that Mikoto was also a black belt and had probably dealt with more thugs than he would ever dream of going against.

Mikoto turned around without another word. She'd had enough of this stuff without Haru doing it to her too. When Mikoto was living on the streets homeless, she got a whole bunch of crap from guys who were constantly hitting on her. So, she was somewhat used to it, but not from Haru. She started to walk home. She knew the way. She didn't need Haru to baby her and take her home every day, holding her hand to make sure she didn't trip or any of that crap. She was perfectly fine on her own.

But, Haru caught up to her pretty fast. "Mikoto, please. Just listen. I'm really sorry. I….I'm not the same when my bipolar issue starts."

"Leave me alone," she said stiffly. Haru sighed. He knew it was best to do what she said. If he was ever to mend what he just did to her, he would have to leave her alone. Mikoto always like to be by herself. Just when Haru was about to break her, he made her retreat even more. With a sigh, he went back to the other Sohmas to walk home with them.

Mikoto didn't go to school the next day. She wasn't really too excited about the idea. Haru was in every single one of her classes and she was still very angry at him. Even he knew that. He didn't show up to pick her up. Mikoto told Kazuma to tell him not to, who reluctantly agreed.

She stayed in her room the majority of the time. However, at about 4 o'clock, a panic attack started. Her stomach hurt and her head was throbbing. Her breaths were heavy and short as they usually were when she was in an attack. Mikoto hated panic attacks. Sometimes they were so bad, she felt like she was dying. Going crazy even. That she didn't know who she was. Unfortunately, this was one of those ones. This one was one of the bad ones. Mikoto was recoiled in the corner of the room, her head buried into the wall and tears escaped her eyes. She didn't know what was going on. She was in terrible pain, felt like she was dying. Mikoto felt like she was even losing her mind, it was so bad. Suddenly, the door opened.

Mikoto jumped viciously and saw a figure enter but it had no face. It was just a black shadow. It was Haru, but she couldn't tell. To her, it just looked like a monster. This made her recoil even more. Mikoto grabbed her legs and pressed them to herself as she cried.

Haru looked down at her terrified. This was exactly the reason he didn't like to leave her alone. Because of this stupid disorder. Haru sat down next to her and looked at her with soft agonizing eyes.

"We missed you today," he said in a calm voice, hoping it would rub off on her.

Mikoto shivered. When she heard the voice speak, she turned towards it slightly. It was starting to become clearer. White hair, with black underneath, staring at her with agonizing eyes.

"H-haru?" she asked, hoping it was him but at the same time hoping it wasn't.

"Yeah," he said with a worried smile. "Mikoto, I'm really sorry. I would never do anything like that to you in my right mind. You know that, right?" he asked.

Mikoto sniffed but slowly nodded. Haru inched towards her and stared to wipe the sweat and tears away from her face. He put some hair behind her ear and held her check slightly with a smile.

Mikoto bit the right side of her lip. The image was fully in place now. All she saw was Haru. Everything else was blurry and scary, but Haru's image was still and calming. Mikoto grabbed onto him and grasped his shirt with her fingers holding him close to her. That's when it happened.

After Haru had turned into an ox, Mikoto quickly passed out. There's no question as to why. She already felt like she was going insane and was in terrible pain that seeing her friend turn into an ox must have just made her completely freak. Haru had changed back and put his clothes on, still sitting next to her. When he was an ox, he managed to get her on the bed after she passed out. Now, he was kneeling next to her bed just looking at her. It seemed like such a disturbed sleep and it was most likely his fault. He felt terrible.

Eventually, he saw her eyes flutter and open. Immediately when she woke up, she sat straight up and her eyes widened, going as far away from Haru as possible. She was scared. He didn't blame her. She was probably scared and confused, too.

"You….uhm….are you….the….there was……ugh," she said falling back onto her bed but her eyes were still open. Haru sighed.

"Yes," he told her honestly. He knew what she was trying to ask. "I'm a cow."

"How?....Why?...What?!" she asked, completely confused.

Haru sighed. She deserved to know the truth. So, he told her the truth honestly. He told her of the Chinese zodiac and how his family was cursed. And how he was the year of the ox. She seemed to take it pretty well. He was sure she would have taken it better if she wasn't undergoing a panic attack during the process.

"Sorry that you found out during your panic attack," he apologized. Although, it did warm his heart when she grabbed onto him for protection. It proved she did in fact trust him. Haru wasn't pretty sure, but he thought it was her way of forgiving him for what he did yesterday.

"How's your nose?" she asked. This was the first thing she said since he told her. It was funny that she didn't care that he was an ox. She just cared about what she did to his nose.

"It's fine," he said with a smile. "Are you okay with this?"

"With what?" she asked. Then, she understood. "Oh….the zodiac thing. I don't really care. Every family has their problems. Yours is just a bit out there," she said with a soft smile. "I'm fine. And I won't tell anyone. I promise."

Haru kept her to her word. He knew she wouldn't tell anyone. She doesn't talk to anyone except him and Kazuma, really, and they both already know. Haru trusted her. But he worried what would happen if Akito find out. Akito approved of letting her stay at the dojo, but Haru wasn't sure he'd let her stay here after he finds out that she knew.

"Can you promise me one more thing?" he asked her. Mikoto nodded. "Don't tell any of the other Sohma members that you know, alright?" Mikoto didn't understand why but she still nodded.

"I promise. I don't really like talking to them anyway," she said which made them both smile and laugh.

So, Mikoto knew about Black Haru and the curse. It didn't really bother her. They weren't that different, actually. Mikoto realized she was being too rash about what Haru did. After all, she acted completely different when she was in her panic attacks and she knew the kind of hold that a mental disorder could have on a person.

Everything was good. For now. So long as Akito never found out. However, life is never as lucky as we'd like it to be. They knew Akito would find out eventually. With time. So, Haru savoured the moments he had with Mikoto hoping that her knowledge of the curse would remain a secret.

* * *

_I don't require a review, but I do enjoy them. :D I hoped you liked this chapter!_


	7. A Secret So Transparent

_Hey! Welcome to chapter seven of Panic! A lot of dialogue in this chapter. I apologize. I normally don't write so much dialogue but it was unfortunately necessary. Especially in this chapter. _

_This is such a sad chapter. D: So depressing to write, but I hope you still like it! I had to bring Akito into the picture somehow. haha. _

**

* * *

**

**VII**

**A Secret So Transparent**

* * *

Mikoto was fine with the Sohma curse and she kept to her word. She didn't tell anyone and she wasn't planning on it. Besides, she wouldn't have anyone to tell that doesn't already know. The secret that she knew remained. No one knew and they planned it to keep it that way. However, some people could see through anything. Especially the people you never want to find out.

One weekend, Mikoto was fighting at the dojo with Kazuma. She was getting her ass kicked but she wasn't surprised. Kazuma was the strongest there was and could beat the tar out of anyone. Suddenly, the door opened. A tall dark haired man entered. Kazuma started to bow nervously. He took a step in front of Mikoto, which alarmed her. Must have been pretty bad.

"Akito," Kazuma nodded.

"Kazuma," the man named Akito said, bowing his head as well. Then, he peered around Kazuma dn caught the glance of Mikoto. "And you must be Mikoto."

Mikoto didn't nod or say anything. The presence of this man was enough to chill anyone's bones. It was very unsettling. His gaze gave her a chill up her spine. Akito seemed to notice and there was grin plastered on his face, showing his terrifying teeth.

"Might I have a word with just Mikoto, Kazuma?" he asked. Kazuma widened his eyes. He seemed extremely reluctant to do so. Eventually, Kazuma nodded and stepped out of the room leaving a rather worried Mikoto. He gave her a slight sympathetic look as he shut the door.

Mikoto watched as Kazuma exited. She was scared. Somehow, she didn't think Akito was going to be very kind to her. She didn't know who Akito was but she had heard his name whispered throughout the Sohma children. He was rarely spoke kindly of.

"So you're the homeless scum that Haru dragged here, are you?" he asked with a cold tone. Mikotos' eyes were glued to the ground. She didn't speak. Not one word. For many reasons. The first was that she rarely spoke to anyone aside from Haru and Kazuma. On top of that, she was too terrified to say anything to the frightful man. He looked as if he might kill her any second. Mikoto expected it, actually. He did not look happy at all.

"It would be wise of you to respond, street rat," he spat at her. Mikoto winced slightly, her eyes still on the ground. She didn't want to speak, but believed him that it was unwise of her to not. If he truly was the head of the family as she has heard, this must have been some kind of interview. To see if she was worthy of holding the curse. But, as far as she knew, no one else had figured out she knew about the curse. But, sometimes, she was as transparent as glass that anyone could see through her.

"Y-yes," she replied, stammering a bit.

"That's better," he said, glaring her down and piercing her with his dark emotionless eyes. He bent down to her eye level and looked at her eye to eye. She shifted uncomfortably and did her best to break the eye contact. "And do you know our secret?"

Mikoto widened her eyes and forced herself to stare at the ground. Haru said not to let others know that she had figured out the curse. Perhaps this was why. Because of Akito. In her stunned silence, Akito spoke again.

"My name is Akito Sohma. I am the leader of the Sohma house and God of the Zodiak. Do you know of the Zodiak?" She didn't respond. Suddenly, she felt a slap on her cheek and winced. "Speak, scum! And don't lie!" he ordered.

Mikoto opened her mouth only to find that no words came out. If she said nothing, she would be defying Akito, which didn't seem like such a smart thing to do. If she told the truth, she would be breaking her promise to Haru. That was almost just as bad. She had to figure out the lesser of the two evils. Finally, she decided she couldn't remain silent anymore. Akito had a very high temper it seemed. Mikoto didn't want to know what would happen once she unleashed it.

"I. I do," she managed to say. Her eyes squinted in pain as she said it. Goodbye, secret. Goodbye, Haru's trust. Farewell.

"Good girl," he said coldly. She felt another slap against her cheek and winced once more. "Are you smart enough to deliver a message?" he asked impatiently. A little nervous, she nodded. Mikoto was pretty sure she didn't want to know what message it was. "Tell Hatori to bring himself and you to my house next Saturday at four o'clock. I shall like a chat with the two of him. Tell him to bring no one else. Good day."

With that, he turned on his heel and left. Mikoto was in fright still. Terrified at what just happened. Then, she did what she did best. She had a panic attack.

* * *

Mikoto woke up in her room with a bunch of people in the room with her. She would have freaked out but Haru was kneeling right next to her bed and squeezed her hand lightly when she woke up. Kazuma, Hatori, Kyo, and Yuki were also here. Mikoto didn't understand. Before she could open her mouth, Yuki spoke.

"You really should have told us she knew, Haru," Yuki said in his low calm voice. Haru stood up and let go of Mikoto's hand, glaring at Yuki.

"Yeah? And let happen the same thing that happened to Kana?" Haru asked. Hatori, the doctor, was standing near the door. At this comment, he stiffed and seemed to shiver slightly. Hatori tried his best not to remember Kana as often as he could. He hated it when she was brought up, but she often was.

"If you would have told Akito, he might have spared her," Hatori said, gritting through his teeth. He spoke as if Mikoto wasn't even in the room. She listened intently, though. However, she wasn't really picking up anything she understood. "The fact that Akito found out by himself makes the case worse. Do you realize what you've risked?!"

"Nothing is going to happen!" Haru yelled. His hands clenched into fists and Mikoto gulped. Mikoto knew that Haru had a short temper and was set off easily. She didn't know it could happen this fast though. Haru tried desperately to keep his cool, but it was hard for him considering all that's just happened. "Because your not going to do it, Hatori! I won't let you!"

Mikoto widened her eyes. They were talking about her. But what about her? "Do what to me?" she asked confused. The boys looked at her for only a moment but went back to their conversation.

"Akito has requested a meeting with just me and Mikoto. Haru, have you put the pieces together yet? You won't be able to stop it," Hatori said. He was trying to remain calm but pieces inside him were breaking. He was painfully reminded of whenever he had to erase Kana's memory and how awful it was. He can't imagine what kind of pain Haru must be going through right now.

At this, Haru grew angry. His fists clenched even further and his eyes darkened as he charged at Hatori. Black Haru. Kyo and Yuki acted immediately. They grabbed Haru by the shoulders and forced him against a wall. Haru was still struggling.

"Keep you cool, Haru! God!" Kyo yelled. Haru just sneered at him.

"I won't let you do it to her, Hatori!" Haru yelled. "How could you? Why? Can't you have some morals and stand up to him! Everybody else does!" he bellowed. Hatori dropped his hands to his sides, weakening in the heart. He always was the bad guy in these situations. In his life, Akito had Hatori erase many memories of friends of the Sohmas. He hated to do it. He hated to see his family lose friends but when Akito ordered him to do so, there wasn't much else he could do.

Haru was clearly fuming mad. Yuki and Kyo held onto him tightly as he struggled, trying to once more go after Hatori. He thought that beating up Hatori would change things. He just needed to beat up anything, really. He needed to take his anger out on something, and he couldn't do it to Akito. Mikoto still didn't know what they were talking about.

"Do WHAT?!" Mikoto yelled. She was, again, ignored.

"I will not stand up to Akito, Haru," he said firmly. "You know what he is like."

Haru fell limp in Kyo and Yuki's arms and fell to the floor, defeated. His breaths were short and were quivering. Almost as if he were about to cry but he forced himself not to.

"What's happened?" Mikoto asked, a bit scared. She had a feeling that she didn't want to know. Suddenly, the entire room was silent. Even Haru didn't look at her or speak. Hatori glanced over at Kazuma who finally nodded.

"Mikoto…the news that you know about the curse has obviously been revealed," Kazuma said. His eyes were not meeting hers. "And Akito doesn't seem to trust you. He wishes to have your memory erased of us completely."

"My memory?" she asked. Her voice was low and confused. How could they do that? Mikoto didn't understand. She didn't know there was such a thing as erasing memories.

Haru was on the floor still and sighed, his voice quivering, but he spoke. "He'll erase your memory back to when you first met me. He'd block me and the rest of us from your memory completely, and we'd take you back to your Aunt and Uncle."

Mikoto blankly stared at the Sohmas. All were still refusing to make eye contact with her. Even Haru. She bit the right side of her lip and fought tears back. She hated her Aunt and Uncle and she hated the idea of having her memory erased. The idea that Haru wouldn't be in her life anymore and she'd go back to the life she had when she didn't know him.

"Hatori, please. Please don't," Haru begged. Hatori winced slightly. He hated moments like these.

"Haru, when I erase4d Kana's memory, I didn't want to. Not at all. But Akito is fierce. Haru, if you really don't want me to erase it, I won't. Believe me, it gives me no pleasure to erase friends. But let me tell you what will happen. Akito will know it was because of you. The fact that he will hurt and punish you shouldn't surprise or phase you in the slightest. But he will also hurt Mikoto even more. Far worse than you…and that will be the worst punishment of all."

Haru's face hardened. Mikoto even saw a tear escape his eye as he sniffed and wiped it away. Haru and Mikoto both knew they were defeated but for some reason, Haru wouldn't quit. He didn't want to let such a terrible thing happen to her.

"I won't let that happen," he said angrily.

Hatori sighed and looked from Haru to Mikoto. Haru looked worried. It didn't please Hatori to have to do this. When he erased Kana's memory, it took everything in him to not try to kill himself for what he did to such a kind person. The best thing that ever happened to him, in fact. There wasn't much he could do, though. Akito was hurting both of them. Hatori and Kana. Hatori didn't care with Akito hurt him, but it pained him when he hurt Kana.

"Haru, Akito will see to it that you both suffer. Is that what you want? To see Mikoto in pain?" Haru looked at Mikoto. Both of their expressions were pained and terrified.

Mikoto sighed. "I will let you erase my memory, Hatori," she said. Haru widened his mouth in protest.

"No, Mikoto. I can't let you."

"Haru, it's okay," she assured. "I don't want to see you suffer just because of me and I can undertand why my memory will be erased. You don't want anyone to know your secret. I will agree to return to my Aunt and Uncle, even if I must ran away again anyway," she said with a slight smile. She tried to convince herself she was doing what was best. Though, it wasn't what she wanted she still must deal with it.

"I will see to it that you will remain at school," Hatori promised. "So we can keep an eye on you and your health." Mikoto nodded. Haru must have told them the things her Aunt and Uncle did to her. At least there would be someone trying to protect her this time. Maybe they could prevent such terrible things from ever happening again.

"There's something else," Haturo said lowly. "Akito said that after Mikoto's memory is removed….Haru, you are thereby forbidden to confront miss Mikoto."

"What?!" Haru yelled, his fists clenched again.

Hatori sighed, looking at Haru sadly. "He doesn't want you to talk to her at all.'

Mikoto widened her eyes as well. This took her by surprised. Akito really wanted to block her out, didn't he? "I-it's fine," she managed. Haru didn't say anything. His eyes were focused towards the ground.

There was a long silence before another word was spoken. "It's been a long day. I. I think I'd like some time alone," Mikoto said. The rest nodded, seeming to understand, and went out the door. Haru even managed to stand up and go to leave. "Haru," she said lowly. He stopped and looked over at her. "Stay," she softly pleaded. Haru nodded with a forced smile and went to sit down next to her on the bed. His gaze was hard and deteremined.

"I won't let them, Mikoto," he forced.

"But you must."

"I can't," he mumbled pathetically. Mikoto looked over at him with saddened eyes. She was not at all thrilled at what just happened either, but it was for the good of the family. Right?

"I'm not afraid, Haru," she told him. Her hand started to shake and Haru gently grasped it with his.

"You haven't been taking your medication," he implied. Mikoto shook her head. Haru sighed and stood up. "You need rest."

Mikoto nodded as Haru pulled back the covers then placed them on top of her as she lied down. Haru couldn't force another smile. He wasn't going to pretend he was happy about this. He was miserable. Mikoto was miserable too. She looked it. Her eyes were dark and her smile was faded and forced.

"If I never see you again," Haru started. "I'm sorry."

Haru couldn't find it in himself to say anything else. He turned around and turned the light off as he usually did. Then, he left. He couldn't even find it in himself to even say good night.

**

* * *

**

_Hey, thanks for reading! Review?!_

_Oh, and thanks to everyone who reads/subscribes/alerts/reviews this story. I really appreciate it. :)_


	8. A Bitter Pill to Swallow

_Hey readers!_

_This chapter is sad again. :( I'm sorry. It's also somewhat happy but then gets sad. It was painful to write. I hope you still enjoy it, though. I had fun writing it. _

_Sorry I've been slow on updates. I know I left you hanging last chapter. ahaha. I've been studying for finals like crazy. But they're over officially today so I'm off! This story only has about three more chapters left. Almost done :) I'm planning on finishing it before January 4th. So, look out for updates. I'm planning on finishing all of my stories before that day actually. haha. _

_Happy reading! **Animic**_

**

* * *

**

**VII**

**A Bitter Pill to Swallow**

* * *

Mikoto awoke that Saturday morning rather uneasily. She knew what must happen. What was to be done that day. It was a rather sad dark day. Something she wasn't looking forward to every since she came to know of it. Haru had started visiting less. In fact, she didn't remember when was it the last time he visited.

Haru tried to keep his distance. Figuring it might be less painful in the long run, but he was most wrong. This was more painful. Staying away from her. It pained him inside what was going to happen in possibly just hours. He couldn't even believe he was letting it happen to her. His Mikoto.

He wished he had visited her earlier, but he was going to have to say goodbye some time. No matter how hard it was going to be. He arrived at Kazuma's dojo early. Kazuma was up. He was sitting in the living room with Hatori. Haru stiffened with anger as he saw Hatori. The person that was causing all this pain.

Hatori looked over at Haru in pain. He knew how hard it was to know the inevitable. To know the person you cared for deeply would not remember who you were the next day. It was a difficult reality to accept.

"Haru, I wanted you to know. It gives me no pleasure," Hatori said, looking painfully at the boy. "None at all. I am extremely sorry."

Haru frowned, his eyes glaring at the doctor. "I'm coming with you," he commanded. His tone was threatening. Enough to make the two grown men cringe just slightly. Hatori stood at this comment.

"Akito won't allow it," Hatori said in a calm voice. Hatori knew how pained Haru must be right now but he mustn't urge himself to come to such stupid conclusions. Akito would not let Haru be in attendance. What could possibly make Haru think that he would?

"I won't let her in a room with just you and Akito! You don't know how to protect her!" he said. His fists were clenched, threatening to punch a hole in a wall which was what Hatori expected.

"I won't let Akito harm her, Haru," Hatori promised but Haru didn't believe him. Was he supposed to believe that load of rubbish? If Hatori was going to allow Akito to erase her memory, what else would Hatori allow?!

"You lie!" Haru yelled. His fist impaled the wall closest to them which made Kazuma sigh. Hatori's gaze softened but maintained their sternness. He could not allow Haru to do such a stupid act. Hatori didn't want to see Mikoto get hurt. He didn't want to see Haru get hurt either.

"Haru!" Hatori said and ran up to Haru. He put his arms around Haru, restraining him from doing anything. Haru fought out of his reach but Hatori kept a firm grip. Haru then fell. He retreated into Hatori's arms and broke down. Tiny small tears escaped his eyes as Haru fought them back. There wasn't anything he could do, and everyone knew it. It killed him.

Hatori held Haru tightly with a sad expression. "It will be fine, Haru."

Haru held himself up and removed himself from Hatori's hold. He wiped his eyes with his sleep and coughed. "No…it won't."

Without another word, he left the two men. Haru came to see Mikoto, not them. He stormed past the two men and went towards Mikotos room. When he opened the door, he saw her in a position he didn't see her in often.

She was standing in the far left corner. Her back was turned against him and her face was against the wall. Her eyes closed in pain. She seemed to be suffering as much as he was.

"I'm sorry," Haru said before anything else could be said. He hadn't been here for the past week, and it must have pained her.

"You should be," she said. It wasn't until now that Haru realized she was crying. Tears were falling down her cheeks. The quiver of her voice broke him. His weakness was definitely Mikoto, and when she was upset. "Why haven't you come?!" she yelled at him, her head still against the wall.

"I wanted to," he said miserably. "It's just…hard to explain."

Mikoto nodded. She seemed to understand that it would be hard for Haru to spend time with someone who would eventually forget any memory of him. Mikoto saw the logic in it, but also saw no logic at all. She wanted to treasure the time they had left, even though she wouldn't remember any of it. She needed him here now, because he wouldn't be here later.

Mikoto turned around to look at him. "Your hand is bleeding," she stated. Though, the words held no emotion.

Haru held his hand up and clenched it slightly. "Yeah…I punched a hole in a wall," he confessed. Mikoto nodded, again, seeming not at all phased. She seemed to understand that as well.

Mikoto walked over to Haru silently. She grabbed his hand and looked down at it. She pushed the blood around, seeming very focused on the hand. Mikoto rubbed his hand for awhile, doing nothing else. Haru just watched her and her sad face. He hated that face on her. It's the one face he would rather never see on her again.

"You've changed my life, Hatsuharu Sohma," Mikoto said with a depressed sigh, her eyes still on his hand. It was the first time that she had said his entire name. It felt weird to Haru. Too formal for his taste. Mikoto chuckled pathetically. "Haru, the ox."

Haru let out a small grin. "Mikoto," he said. Mikoto finally found it in her to look into his eyes. She noticed that it looked like he had been crying as well. That made two of them, then. "I'll never forget you…even if you forget me."

Mikoto pursed her lips together and nodded. The last thing she wanted to do was forget him, but maybe it was for the best. The best for his family, anyway. Probably not for hers. Mikoto wasn't looking forward to being dragged back to her Aunt and Uncle. She was scared. They were not very nice people.

She felt hands on her hair as Haru played with the tiny strands of hair with his good hand. They both smiled pathetically.

"Mikoto," he said again. "I love you."

Before she could respond, Haru lightly put his hand against the back of her head and leaned towards her, kissing her passionately, but lightly. Mikoto was never expecting anything such as this. Regardless, she found herself kissing back. Haru had turned into her best friend. Her saviour. She felt deeply for him, even though she'd never admitted it to anyone. Not even herself, really.

Haru was now her first kiss. The only kiss she'd ever want. Mikoto didn't need anything anymore. It didn't matter that her memories would be erased. All she needed to know was this moment right now. That she was loved. Mikoto was never loved once her family died. Now that someone did, it felt weird but strangely right. Haru positioned himself slightly apart from her, though. Mikoto understood. It would kind of ruin the moment if he turned into a cow.

When the kiss was over, he held his forehead to hers and then kissed her forehead. As much as Mikoto wanted to stay something, she couldn't. Not because she didn't want to, but because they were interrupted.

The door opened and Hatori entered. Haru quickly, but smoothly, dropped his grasp on Mikoto and Mikoto did the same.

"It's time," Hatori said. Regret covered his voice. He didn't want to do this any more than they did, but it needed to be done.

Mikoto nodded and made her way towards the door. Hatori nodded and left, heading towards the exit of the dojo as Mikoto slowly followed. Haru didn't move. He was staring where Mikoto used to be. When Mikoto reached the door, he turned his head towards her.

"Don't forget me," he pleaded. Tears quickly made their way down Mikoto's voice as she left without another word.

~*~*~

Hatori led Mikoto towards the Sohma estate. Mikoto was not at all looking forward to this. That much was obvious. She wasn't looking forward to forgetting Haru. Forgetting all the wonderful moments they shared. That kiss.

Mikoto didn't have much time to think about the kiss, honestly. Hatori dragged her out before she could say goodbye officially. She was going to miss Haru more than anything. It was hard to accept that the one good thing that has happened in her life was now going to be gone.

Hatori put a hand on the girls shoulder and nodded. Mikoto returned the nod and gulped as they entered the grounds. Hatori led her to a rather large building. It must have been Akito's home. How she hated that man.

"It will be fine," Hatori assured. Mikoto wasn't convinced. He sensed her uneasiness. "There is a possibility that Akito will not wish to have your memory erased."

Mikoto gulped. "Any tips?"

"Speak only when your spoken to. Make no eye contact unless so directed. Do not retaliate or speak against him. Be respectful," he said truthfully. Akito was hard to please. Hatori knew he was giving the girl false hope but he hated to see her so depressed like this. "Just be yourself."

Just as soon as they arrived, they were soon sent for. Mikoto and Hatori glumly made their way into Akito's headquarters. Each dreading the upcoming confrontation just as much as the next.

Akito was standing next to a window, looking out on it. His dark hair added to the mystery about him that Mikoto couldn't seem to unfold. She just didn't understand how someone could be so cruel to their own family. It just didn't add up.

"Ah, Hatori. Glad you could make it," Akito said to Hatori without turning his head. Hatori nodded and he led Mikoto over towards Akito. Akito turned and glared at the girl. "Miss Mikoto."

Mikoto did what Hatori directed. She kept her eyes on the ground and didn't speak. She only nodded. Mikoto was terrified of this man. She didn't want to show any weakness but she knew she was. Obviously, Akito sensed it as well.

"You no doubt have been told of the reason of your presence today," he noted. Mikoto nodded. "Are you angry?" he asked. Mikoto shook her head viciously. Akito led out a dark chuckle. He loved getting under their skin. The outsiders. "Such scum," he said distastefully. "You deserve less than what I am offering you. I do not see what Haru sees in you. All you are is a lump of garbage."

Mikoto winced at this remark. She was often talked down to like this with her Aunt and Uncle. It was not comforting. Mikoto knew that for the past year, she'd been nothing but a street rat. Roaming the streets and stealing food like an animal. It's what she was, according to most people. Including Akito.

"Are you mute?" he asked, his tone getting tense. Mikoto shook her head once more. "Perhaps you are ashamed to speak. I agree. Such filthy rats shouldn't be allowed in this country. I'm surprised the police haven't shot you down yet," he said calmly as if this were just a calm conversation. The words were offending Mikoto.

"Will you tell your friends about our daring secret? Speak, scum!" he yelled.

Mikoto forced herself not to be turned by his words and spoke. "I will tell not a soul," she told him. Her eyes were still on the ground.

"Oh," he said sarcastically. "I don't believe you." Mikoto felt a sharp slap against her cheek and she winced. "I was right about you. Pathetic. Not worthy of our secret. And not even good looking. I expected Haru to have some taste," he said with an evil grin. This struck Mikoto only slightly. Not the comment of her looks, but mentioning Haru. It was hard enough to think of him already. "Really. Rin is much better suited for him," he laughed.

Rin. Who was Rin? Haru had never mentioned her before. Must have been someone he used to date. It shouldn't have surprised Mikoto. Haru was nice enough to get any girl he wanted, and now he could. Now that Mikoto was gone, he'd probably go back to this Rin girl, whoever she was.

"Oh, have you not been told?" Akito asked with a smirk on his face. "Not surprised. Rin was much more beautiful than you are. Even Tohru is. Too bad your not as good as Tohru. Everyone seems to love her, but I haven't heard the same of you. That's because you're the oddball, I suppose, Pity. Haru had to lower his expectations to such dirt. I thought more of him. Your parents were probably a sight for sore eyes as well. Tell me, Mikoto, were your parents so poor that they had to sell you for money?"

Now, Akito had crossed the line. Akito was just toying with her. Trying to upset her. And he succeeded. Mikoto couldn't take any more of this agonizing. It wasn't very offensive, but Mikoto got her feelings hurt easily. Especially when one bad mouthed her parents. Her parents were wonderful people. Just wonderful. They didn't deserve being talked down on.

Mikoto held her arm out and clenched her fist. She thrust it towards Akito's face. Akito grabbed her fist but Mikoto wouldn't have that. She raised her left foot and kicked him in the stomach. It blew the wind out of him and Akito was sent flying against the wall, but Mikoto wasn't finished. Akito held out his hand to stop her but she grabbed his wrist and continued to punch him several times in the face. It got to the point where she was bleeding. Finally, Akito over-powered her and he threw her into the brick wall. Mikoto felt something crack in her back and fell to the floor. Akito kicked her hard in the stomach and then took a glare at Hatori.

"Do it now, Hatori," Akito ordered. His voice was angered and loud. He was clearly pissed off. Not many dared to fight him, and he was not happy. Hatori hesitated when Akito's face flushed with anger. "Erase her memory NOW, Hatori!"

"But she's injured. I can't just let-"

"NOW!" Akito yelled. Akito folded his arms and Hatori nodded hesitantly. He went down towards Mikoto. Immediately, the girl retracted. Hatori held a hand on her shoulder and then lifted her chin up slightly. Hatori nodded and Mikoto gulped. This was it. She wouldn't remember anything. The thought was terrifying.

Hatori held his hand to her forehead and looked at the ground with his eyes closed painfully. He was going to cause so much pain by doing this but with Akito glaring down at him there wasn't much he could do. This was what Akito wanted. He wanted to get a reason to do this. To get her to fight back, and he succeeded.

"I'm so sorry, Mikoto," Hatori said. With a bright flash of light, Mikoto fell backwards onto her back and passed out. Her memory gone.

And that was that.

* * *

_Awh, sorry that it's a sad ending. :( _

_I've never seen this done in a Fruits Basket fanfic, though, where the main characters memory was erased. I thought it would be a GREAT twist. Here's the twist I promised some of you. haha. I hope it wasn't what you expected. :) I tend to be unpredictable. lol. _

_Review?! I always love the extra advice! Never done a FB fanfic. I dunno how good I am on characterization but oh well. Akito wasn't as mean as I would have liked him to be in this chapter but I wasn't in a mean enough mood. lol. I'm not normally a mean person, but I hope his insults were somehwat mean. _


	9. To be Forgotten is Worse than Death

_Hey readers!_

_I'm so glad that so many of you are liking this story! :) I really like it too. It's sad but I think it's unique. Moreso than the usual Fruits Basket fanfics. Then again, I haven't read that many. aha. _

_This chapters some what sad again. i'm sorry. :/ I hate doing this too you but it's hard to make it not sad considering the situation. But don't worry, it will get better next chapter. _

_Sorry for the delay again. Christmas time. Hope you understand. :) I may not be able to finish the sotry by Janurary 4th as I'd hoped but I'll do my best. I have two other stories that I need to update as well. Agh. Pressure! lol. I'll manage. :P Hopefully. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_Animic_

* * *

**IX**

**To be Forgotten is Worse than Death**

* * *

Mikoto felt a sharp tug on her shoulder as she was dragged through the street and was edging closer and closer to her Aunt and Uncle's house. Mikoto had run away on a consistent basis ever since she was twelve years old. She hated her Aunt and Uncle. They were terrible to her. She finally was on a roll with running away. It had been about a year since she's seen them. However, there's always that guy that finds you and brings you back to your house.

Mikoto tried to break free of the mans grasp but it held a tight hold on her. She looked up at the man and realized he seemed to be a middle aged man. One of his eyes was slightly cloudy. She wondered if he were blind but wasn't going to dare ask. Mikoto didn't talk to anybody. Ever. She had sever trust issues. That, and she's had Panic disorder ever since she was five.

"Please stop struggling," the man begged. Mikoto looked up at him and realized his eyes, blind or not, were both hurt. As if something terrible had happened to him recently. She didn't care. She still tried to free herself but to no avail.

The man suddenly stopped and bent down to see her eye to eye. "Do you know who I am?" he asked. "Even a little bit?" he asked. Mikoto looked at the man strangely. She had never seen him before in her life. Angrily, she shook her head. The man sighed and stood up, leading her down the block once more. "Haru is going to kill me," he muttered in a tone that Mikoto couldn't pick up on.

She remained silent the entire time until they reached their door. The man knocked on the door and about a minute later, her Aunt answered the door. She saw Mikoto immediately and her glare pierced Mikoto. Mikoto cringed back slightly and Hatori stiffened. He couldn't believe he was doing this to her. Such a sweet girl, too.

"Are you Mikoto Mori's Aunt and Uncle?" he asked.

The woman frowned. "Yes, unfortunately. Thanks for bringin' her back," she said without any emotion at all. The woman reached out for Mikoto but Hatori blocked her if only for a moment.

"If I may," he started. The woman frowned at the man and folded her arms together impatiently. "My name is Hatori Sohma. I am a doctor and Mikoto has some injuries that I'd like to be sure heal."

"We're not paying for any medical bills, buddy. Nice try," the woman said, trying to grab Mikoto again. Once more, Hatori stood in front of her.

"She is ill. I am willing to look over her for free," he said. The woman opened her mouth but Hatori continued. "I do have one request. I've grown close to Mikoto. I demand she be enrolled in the private academy down the road a ways. If it is an inconvenience for you, I will pay the school bills," He said.

"Mikoto doesn't need any education or medical examinations, buddy. Hate to break it to you," she spat.

"Either you let me enrol her or I will explain to the police department how she got the majority of her injuries from," he said and glared at the lady. The woman took a slight step back and gasped. The woman reluctantly nodded.

"Fine," she said with hatred in her voice.

"Mind you, I have eyes at the school as well. Students. They will be watching her to make sure none of these injuries make their way on her again. Do you understand?"

The woman looked extremely taken aback but agreed. "Fine. Enrol her and keep your watchdogs. I don't care. Get off my property!" she yelled. Hatori gave a side glance at Mikoto and then gave another hard glare at the woman. With a slight nod, he turned on his heel and left the property, satisfied. It was the best he could do for her now. Haru would most definitely keep an eye on her as long as she stayed with her Aunt and Uncle. Hopefully, Haru would be satisfied. There wasn't much else Hatori could have done. He had to follow Akito's orders, but as the family had gotten rather fond of Mikoto, it only seemed fair to the family and to Mikoto to have her constantly watched. Hatori didn't want to see Mikoto hurt any more than the others did.

~*~*~

Mikoto was dragged into the house by her Aunt. She had Mikoto by the wrist and her nails were digging into her skin. Mikoto whined in pain as the door was slammed behind her.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" she said and slapped Mikoto. Mikoto flinched and her head looked down at the ground. Her Aunt grabbed her hand again and dragged her into the living room. There sat her Uncle on the sofa watching television. He looked curiously at her when she entered with Mikoto.

"Look who it is, Paul," she said and released her angrily. Her Uncle walked towards her and Mikoto immediately retracted. She nervously played with her fingers. Her Uncle took his hand and played with her hair softly. Mikoto was starting to feel like he was nice when she realized he wasn't. With one swift motion, her Uncle hit her and threw her to the wall.

"One year!" he screamed. "No letter. Phone call. What the hell were you thinking!?" her Uncle shouted and stormed towards her. Mikoto put her hands over her head as she was kicked not once but twice.

"Just like your mother," her Aunt said. "What?! Our care wasn't good enough for you! You've lived here your whole life. We gave you the food off our table and even let you have Jiro's old bedroom purely out of the goodness of our hearts!" her Aunt screamed. Jiro was their old son. Mikoto's cousin. She never met him. Jiro died when he was about five. If Jiro would have been alive, Jiro would have been her age. He died right around the time her father and brother did. Ironic, isn't it? Jiro was nice to. Much nicer than his Aunt and Uncle.

Mikoto suddenly felt something. Something she had felt before. Her head started throbbing and she became extremely dizzy. Her stomach ached badly. She held her stomach as her Aunt and Uncle scoffed.

"Come here!" her Aunt screamed. She grabbed Mikoto by the scarf of her neck and dragged her up the stairs. Mikoto was thrust into a room that had no furniture or bed in it at all. All that was in it was junk. It was clear this was now the junk room. "We installed it so we can lock it on the other side of the door. Just in case you came slithering back." She said. The door slammed and Mikoto heard a click from the door. She went over to it, trying to open it but it was locked shut. Mikoto ran to the window but it was boarded up and locked securely. She wasn't getting out any time soon.

Mikoto curled up in a corner clutching her stomach. Her Panic attack was bad this time. She eventually either fell asleep or passed out. It was hard to tell which.

~*~*~

Haru made his way to school with his hands in his pockets and his head down. Momiji walked next to him silently. He looked up at Haru with a sad face.

"Hey, Haru. Want to race to school?!" Momiji asked, excited. Without an answer, Momiji ran off to school. Haru didn't even look up. He was too depressed. The news had spread. That Mikoto's memory was erased and was given back to her Aunt and Uncle. How could this have happened? He just didn't understand. He shuddered to think what they were doing to her right now.

He wanted to go see her. To ask if she remembered him at all, but he knew she would not. It was useless. Not only that, Akito had forbid him to see her or speak to her at all. It was torture.

The bell rang and Haru made his way to his first class. He buried his head in his desk and waited for school to start, though dreading it.

~*~*~

The next day, the door bell rang. A policeman came in and went up to Mikoto's room. She was dressed and ready for school, she supposed. She still wasn't quite sure why it is she was going. She knew it was to the threats that the doctor man gave to her Aunt, but Mikoto didn't understand. Mikoto had never seen that man before. Why was he trying to help her.

Her Aunt and Uncle made sure that Mikoto was going to stay with them until she was eighteen. So, every day, from now on, she would be escorted to and from school by a police officer. With a sigh, Mikoto got into the back seat of the police car. She felt like an idiot.

The school wasn't necessarily close. It was a bit of a drive, but it was nice. The car passed by a herd of cows. White and black cows. Mikoto smiled as she watched the free animals roam around and eat grass. For some reason, the cows seemed somewhat significant to her. She didn't know or remember why. Mikoto just had a feeling that at one point in her life, they were a big part of her life. She had never lived on a farm, though. Perhaps it was something in her childhood. She shook it off, though the thought remained in her mind for quite some time.

She was slightly late for school but it didn't matter. Mikoto wasn't too excited about school. She didn't know anyone and had never been to school a day in her life. How was she supposed to get along with everyone? She was so different from everyone. They would probably see her as the oddball with no friends. It's exactly what she would be.

The policeman escorted her to her first class and stood outside as she opened the door and entered the room. All the students were already seated and the teacher was teaching. He looked over and saw Mikoto.

"Mikoto," the teacher said, frowning. "Nice of you to join us. Finally." Mikoto was confused. She had never met this teacher before. Not once. How did he know her name? A little bewildered, she sat down in an empty seat. The teacher looked at her and glared. "Please sit in your assigned seat, Mikoto."

Haru suddenly looked up as the door opened. His eyes widened. It was Mikoto. Was this possible?! How was she at school? He was confused. Though, when he saw her confused look, he knew she didn't remember anything. She was just like she used to be. Before Haru met her, she was shy, mistrusting, and never spoke. Not to mention got panic attacks on a frequent basis. She seemed to be back to the way she was before him. It killed him. She was doing so good, too.

Mikoto looked up at the man, confused. As far as she knew, she didn't have an assigned seat. "Next to Haru, Mikoto!" the teacher snapped. Who was Haru? Mikoto looked around desperately. Mikoto saw a white haired boy raise his hand and point to a desk beside his. Mikoto, nervous, nodded and made her way towards the seat.

Mikoto looked down at her desk and played with her fingers as the teacher began teaching again as she took her seat. She shook slightly and felt tears fall down her face. Quickly, she wiped them away. She fingered the scratches on her arms and sighed, desperately. She was back into her old terrible life. No matter what she did, she would always be stuck with her terrible Aunt and Uncle.

Haru glanced at Mikoto for awhile. She noticed every once in a while and nervously looked back at him. It was clear she didn't remember him at all. Not even a little bit. He saw her fingering her arm and then noticed scratches. New injuries that weren't there before. They were new wounds. No doubt made from her Aunt and Uncle.

Throughout the entire day, Haru couldn't manage the courage to say anything to Mikoto. He felt like he was stuck in three different worlds. Akito's, his, and Mikoto's. He didn't know which one he needed to listen to more. He was just so confused. It hurt him so badly that Mikoto didn't remember him, but he should have expected that. Hatori was good at erasing friends from the Sohma's lives, that was for sure.

~*~*~

The Sohma's were at Shigure's house, along with Haru who was losing his temper fast. Shigure only guessed a couple minutes until he exploded into black Haru.

"It's okay, Haru," Yuki said. "We've all gone through something like this."

Haru gritted his teeth and his fists clenched. "This is different you stupid rat! Mikoto is helpless! She's in danger with those people. She was doing FINE until this happened! She was finally getting her life back, and now it's gone. And for what?! Some stupid dragon!" Haru yelled. Hatori sighed as he stood next to Shigure.

"So what are you waiting for then?" Kyo said sarcastically with his arms folded. "Just go up and punch Akito. Then, all your problems will go away. I'll go with you."

Yuki smirked. "Oh, I'm sure that's what we all want to see. You couldn't take on Akito, Kyo. Don't be so foolish."

Kyo got angry. "I could beat him if I wanted to, you damn rat!"

"Then, go ahead. Prove it!"

"He's not here right now!"

"That never stopped you before."

Suddenly, Kyo was punched to the ground. Haru was standing over him with his fist cocked. Kyo grew angry at this. "This isn't about you, you bloody cow!"

Suddenly, Kyo and Haru broke out in a battle and Yuki shook his head slightly. Shigure, who stood next to Hatori, sighed. "There goes my house again."

Tohru was there as well. She was fumbling with her hands slightly. "Please. Please don't fight, Kyo."

Kyo glared at Haru but eventually gave into Tohru. He always listened to Tohru. It was hard not too. Kyo gave one final throw and Haru was thrown into the wall. He slid to the ground and quiet sobs were heard on the ground. Black Haru was gone, but most of them didn't prefer to hear Haru cry.

"She doesn't even remember me," he said agonized. "Not even a little bit. And she's got new injuries, Hatori. They're beating her again. I just know it."

They all looked at Haru with sad eyes. There was nothing that could really be done. Mikoto was on her own right now. Akito wouldn't allow them to do anything for her. He was doing that on purpose too. Akito knew exactly what was happening to her at that house, and he let it happen. It was too much for any of them to take.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Review?!_

_Awh, poor Haru. I feel so bad for him in this story. :( This isn't my favourite chapter though. It was slightly rushed and I'm sorry about that. I didn't get a chance to beta it so I'm sorry if there are things that aren't spelled correctly. _

_I hope you still liked this chapter. Only three more chapters after this one, mind you. _


	10. Guardian Angel

_Hey readers!_

_Chapter ten of Panic! W00t! I like this chapter. Makes me smile and frown at the same time. Though, this one isn't a sad sad. It's happy and then sometimes happy sad. I dunno. It's complicated. You'll see. I promise you next chapter WILL be happy. I can't wait to write next chapter :D Haha. BUt I do love this one. Thanks for reading all the way up to here!_

_Animic_

**

* * *

**

**X**

**Guardian Angel**

* * *

Mikoto continued to attend school without a word to anyone. Haru continued to watch over her, but never said a thing. Always in the background. Always watching out for her in case she fell, but never allowed to catch her. Speak to her. He couldn't talk to her. If he did, Akito would find out somehow and kill him. He didn't get it. Why did Akito love to see his family suffer? It just didn't make sense. He didn't want any of them to be happy as long as he kept his stupid family close.

She remained to be slightly beat from her Aunt and Uncle, getting locked in the junk room upstairs. She hated her life and tried to run away again countless times, but to no avail.

Mikoto finally got a chance to escape from the police officer that was always keeping an eye on her. They could try to contain her, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to escape. Mikoto tried to escape their grasps consistently. Suddenly, her arm was grabbed by a much stronger man.

"Who'd you tattle on, Mori!?" he yelled. Mikoto squinted and looked up to see her Uncle glaring down at her. She winced and struggled, trying to get free of his grasp.

"W-what are you talking about?" she asked, nervously. Her voice was low and shaky. The voice of a person who wasn't used to talking. Haru was standing near, observing the whole situation. He longed to help her out. To prevent that man from being so cruel to her, but he couldn't. It killed him.

"Don't act dumb, kid!" he yelled. "You told the police about your little injuries, didn't you?!"

Mikoto widened her eyes. She hadn't told them. Years ago, she almost was about to tell the police but her Aunt and Uncle beat her out of it. Telling the police anything about what they did to her scared her stiff. She didn't want to revisit it again.

"I. I didn't. I swear!" she said in desperation. Tears were falling down Mikoto's face as she tried to break free of his grasp. Mikoto knew she was in for it. She saw the shadow of her Uncle raising his fist when suddenly, his grasp on her was released.

"Don't even think about it, buddy." Haru had walked over, completely pissed. His lip was trembling in anger as he glared at Mikoto's uncle. Mikoto didn't have the slightest clue what was going on.

"Who the hell are you?!" Uncle Paul yelled, his tone booming across the field. Mikoto widened her eyes. She was on the ground, now, recoiled on the concrete.

"I turned you in, you asshole. My cousin, doctor Hatori Sohma. Heard his name before?" Haru said. His tone was just as ferocious. Uncle Paul gulped slightly as he stared at Haru. He seemed to recall who Hatori was. "We warned you if we saw more injuries on her, we'd turn you in. We kept our promise," Haru said through grinded teeth.

Suddenly, a policeman was beside Haru. He was folding his arms at Mikoto's Uncle and then held out a pair of hand cuffs. The policeman had witnessed the entire scene and was convinced of everything that had happened. The policeman put Mikoto's uncle into the police car and drove off. Haru breathed in and out a few times, completely shocked. Mikoto was free. Free of those terrible people.

Mikoto! He suddenly remembered. Haru looked where he had seen Mikoto last but she was gone. Haru widened his eyes. Where did she go? Then, he remembered that's exactly how Mikoto was before she met him. Haru sighed. She was on her own now again. Back on the streets. A street rat once more. He mentally slapped himself. Oh well. She's probably happier now that she's free.

~*~*~

When the whole scene was occurring, Mikoto made a run for it. She knew what was going to happen afterwards. She was happy that her Aunt and Uncle were finally getting what they deserved, but Mikoto refused to be pegged as an orphan and put in an orphanage or something. Mikoto refused! She would be fine living by herself on the street for the rest of her life.

Mikoto stayed the night on the street, sleeping under a bridge. It wasn't exactly comfortable but she'd just spent that last couple weeks in a room that she was locked inside with a bunch of junk. Anything was better than that. When she woke up, she was starving. That was something she'd have to get used to, she supposed.

The following morning, Mikoto ran to the only familiar place she knew. The dojo. She had been going to this dojo since she was around twelve. She used to run away a lot and trained until she was a black belt. She was nothing against her master, though, that was for sure.

She was out of breath when she reached the dojo. She just had that odd panic feeling that she was being followed or something. Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Oh well. Mikoto flew the door open and breathed heavily in and out.

She saw her master sitting in a chair in the living room. She widened her eyes and bowed slightly. Her master, Kazuma immediately stood up. Mikoto had lied to her master for many years. She told him that she had been living with her brother because her parents were in Australia. She felt terrible for lying to him, but she didn't have much choice.

"Hello, Mikoto," Kazuma said with a sigh. "How…how are you?"

Mikoto widened her eyes. She'd have to lie. Again. "Uhm…fine. I'm fine. Perfect. Just…wonderful."

Kazuma looked at Mikoto with worried eyes. He understood completely. She had lied to him before. Before, he had no idea. It was so depressing. Mikoto had had such a sad life. It was kind of hard to comprehend. How such a tortured person still had the will to live. Not that he was upset that she was still alive. He just didn't know how she took so much tragedy, and right after her life got good, it was taken away from her. And now she has no memory of those happy times whatsoever.

"I heard what happened with your Aunt and Uncle," Kazuma finally said. Yes, he had heard. Haru had warned him of it. He knew that Mikoto ran away yesterday and that Haru was trying to find her. He was out all last night looking for her. Looks as if he's trying to ignore Akito's orders. Kids got some guts, that's for sure.

Mikoto looked towards Kazuma daringly. She didn't understand. He didn't know that part of her life. "Wha-What are you talking about?"

"Mikoto, I know you've lied all this time. It's okay. I can help you, you know," Kazuma said. Mikoto backed up slightly away from him. She was about to stop when she heard the other door open. It was that white haired boy from before.

Haru walked in and saw Mikoto immediately, but he knew what would happen. She would run away, and that's exactly what happened. Mikoto was gone before Haru could say anything. Haru shook his head. He wasn't going to even try to catch up with here. She was fast.

"At least she's alright," Haru said with a low sigh. Kazuma looked towards Haru who looked more depressed than he had ever seen him before.

"She's back where she started, at least," Kazuma told him. "Haru, I know what your trying to do, but she won't remember you. She won't, Haru."

Haru frowned at Kazuma. "What do you know?!" he said angrily. Haru stormed out of the dojo and slammed the door. Kazuma was left staring at the ground. When did it get so complicated?

~*~*~

Miles away, a middle aged woman's eyes opened. The room she awoke to was bare and dull. She didn't know where she was, but she did remember what happened. She remembered the accident, but not everything about it. Or even how it was she survived. The woman started to stand up and got a complete head rush. Like she hadn't stood up in years.

"Hello?" the woman said looking around the room, but there was no life in it. She grabbed a robe and wrapped it around herself. She opened the door and looked out realizing she was in the hospital. She stood open mouthed and watched the nurses and doctors run through the hall when one of them recognized her.

"Kimiko Mori?" a nurse asked.

"Y-yes?" the woman named Kimiko asked.

"Your awake? That's…incredible!" the woman said.

"Yes…it is. Why? How long have I been out?"

The nurse looked at the girl in disbelief. "About ten years."

Kimiko leaned against the wall in shock. Ten years? What about her babies? She lost her balance and used the wall for support. Ten years…what was she to do?

~*~*~

Weeks later, Haru sat in the classroom with his hand against his cheek, staring dumbly at the teacher in front teaching. Every so often, he would glance at Mikoto's empty desk and it broke his heart slightly. He had looked for her since the beginning of time, it seemed. He couldn't find her anywhere. Not even anywhere on the streets. Then again, Japan was a country. She could be anywhere. She could be dead for all he knew.

The door opened suddenly which knocked Haru out of his shock. A middle aged woman walked in with baggy eyes and clothes that seemed way out of style for the present time. "I was told this was Mikoto Mori's first hour?" she asked.

Haru widened his eyes. He was about to say something when the teacher spoke first. "Oh, are you her mother?" the teacher asked. The teacher was aware of the current situation. Not everything. He just knew that Mikoto had run away.

"Y-yes," Kimiko said nervously. Haru was out of his seat in an instant and walked towards the girl.

"I will speak with her," Haru insisted. The teacher was about to protest but put it aside. The teacher knew, for the most part, that Haru and Mikoto were friends. Or, used to be. Haru took the lady outside and pursed his lips together at the girl.

"Your Mikoto's mother?" he asked in disbelief.

"I am," she sighed. "Why? Is something wrong?!"

"Haven't you been in a coma for the past-"

"Ten years…yes. Please. Where is she?"

Haru looked at the girl painfully. It was hard to tell a mother that her child that she hasn't seen for ten years is missing, but she had to know some time. "For the past few weeks, Mikoto has been missing. We can't find her."

"We?" the girl asked.

Haru bit his lip once more. It would be kind of hard to break the truth to her without telling her the whole story but he couldn't. Not without Hatori here. "Me and my family."

"Your family?" she asked. "Have you been keeping an eye on her? But, I believe I left her with my sister and her husband."

"Your sister and her husband were recently arrested….for child abuse," Haru said. It was easy to tell, even on the outside, that the ladies heart broke. She seemed to put the pieces of the puzzle together that her sister had abused her daughter. It must have killed her. "I'm so sorry. I would like you to speak with some of my family. We may be able to help."

The woman nodded and Haru let her towards where Hatori lived. He ignored the fact that he was supposed to be in school. This was much bigger than school. This changed everything. This gave Mikoto a hope for a new life. If Haru couldn't be there for her, her mother could now. It was perfect. There was no way Haru could possibly get the closeness he had with her before. No way. And even if he could, she would only be taken away from him again. He didn't think he could emotionally take that twice.

~*~*~

"Hatori…she has to know," Haru said. Kimiko, Mikoto's mother, was sitting in a room with just Haru and Hatori. They were debating on telling her the full story. Being it her mother, it seemed essential. Otherwise, they would have to lie and Hatori is a terrible liar.

"Very well. I shall sum it up for you. However, there is certain information about this story that must remain confidential. I hope you understand. Miss Mori. At the start of the year, me and certain members of my family became close with your daughter, Mikoto. Mikoto had run away from her Aunt and Uncle and we were there to take care of her. However….she found out about a certain family secret of ours and our leader, Akito Sohma, wouldn't have that. He ordered me to have her memory erased."

"Memory erased?" asked Kimiko.

"Yes. I do erase memories. Not usually but when it is needed. Yes. I didn't want to erase Mikoto's memory but was forced. See…Mikoto grew to be a very special person to Haru here," Hatori said. Kimiko glanced down at Haru and his eyes immediately reached the ground, nervous.

"You didn't have to tell her that, Hatori," Haru grumbled.

"I believe it is a necessary part of the story," Hatori told him. Haru grumbled once more and Hatori smiled, continuing. "Her memory was erased and we sent her back to her parents. However, I informed them I would be keeping an eye on her and so we did. A few weeks after she was living with your sister and her husband, we found new bruises. Injuries, that we were positive came from her Aunt and Uncle. The proof was presented and they were arrested. However, Mikoto must have been frightened and ran away. She probably didn't want to go to an orphanage and we've been looking for her for awhile now. We can't find her anywhere."

Kimiko widened her eyes at all of this information. It was so bewildering. Erasing memories. Family secrets. She wondered what the family secret was but she suspected that was what the confidentiality part was for. She knew they wouldn't tell her. No problem there.

"So you were taking care of my baby before?" she asked both of them. Hatori looked at Haru and nodded who finally gained courage to speak.

"Yes, but you should know. Ever since your family had the car accident…Mikoto's had a problem. She has a Panic disorder and doesn't speak often. She skittish and mistrusting. When we finally got her to trust us, she opened up a bit, but now that her memories erased…..she's back to how she was," Haru said. He could barely contain himself but fought as he spoke.

"A panic disorder?"

"She has frequent panic attacks," Hatori finished. "That is why it is important that we find her as soon as possible. They can get quite bad sometimes."

Haru pursed his lips together and took a deep breath. "Your daughter means more to me than almost anything else. I don't know….exactly why I told you that. But I want you to know I'm trying everything I can to find her."

"She doesn't remember you, does she?" Kimiko asked. Haru let out a cough and a tear slightly crept out of his face. "I'm sorry. Thank you…for caring so much about her."

They sat in silence for awhile. It was hard for Kimiko to take all this in but she understood what had happened. For the next couple days, they spent all of their time looking for her. Haru and Kimiko went together and became rather close, but they didn't find Mikoto. They had run out of places to look.

It was seeming hopeless for a long time. They were walking through the forest back to where Hatori lived. Hatori had offered Kimiko to stay there for awhile until she got on her feet. She didn't seem to have much effort to get on with her life now that everything she had in her life was gone. They needed to find Mikoto fast, before Kimiko gave up hope.

Suddenly, they heard something in the woods. A whimpering and Haru got a feeling of déjà vu. He had heard that voice before. He had been in this situation before. He motioned for Kimiko to follow him and he went through the woods. It took awhile, but he finally found the source of the noise, and it was what he expected.

Mikoto was on the ground curled up in a ball on the ground. She was whimpering and wincing. It was clear she was having another one of her panic attacks. Kimiko immediately ran to her child but Mikoto recoiled into her shell. She didn't seem to see any of them, just her stomach.

"Mikoto…it's me," Kimiko said. Mikoto slowly opened her eyes and looked into her eyes. "It's mom."

Mikoto widened her eyes and gasped. "M-mom?!" she exclaimed. Mikoto stood up from the ground and hugged her mom as tightly as she could. Kimiko squeezed her just as hard. They were both finally happy. Finally with the person they'd been needing for the longest time. Haru, with a smile on his face, walked away from the two. They didn't need him anymore. Mikoto had found her mother and her life would be good from now on. Neither of them needed Haru anymore.

Haru fell asleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about the both of them. Kimiko and Mikoto. Such different people. Haru had a feeling that Mikoto was somewhat like Kimiko before the accident happened and then she turned into this skittish, mistrusting mess that had to be glued back together. Well, Kimiko would have to glue her back now. Haru would always be there for her, though. If she needed him, for some reason. He would still be watching over her at school and when she walked. He would always be there for her, whether or not she realized it.

* * *

_Hi! Hope you liked this chapter. Happy things happened in it. Her mother is back and her Aunt and Uncle are locked away. :D Life is good. Well, not Haru's, but everyone else's. haha. Next chapter will be happy for Haru, though. I promise you. _

_Review?? Thanks for reading! _


	11. In Memoria

_Hey readers!_

_So I have a surprise that may be bad news or good news! haha. This is the LAST chapter of Panic! I know, I know. But don't worry. This chapter is lovely and happy. I love this chapter. So cute :) This is as fluffy of a writer as I get so eat it up and enjoy. haha. _

_I'm thinking of starting another Hatsuharu/OC fanfic but I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with an idea. You know, I like to be creative and do stuff no one else has done before. I've been thinking of doing one about another Zodiac. Not a next generation. Ewh. No, I'm talking about the American Zodiac. LIke Aries, Taurus, Scorpio, stuff like that. And have them be cursed with the same kind of thing. However, this main charachter will hate Haru at the beginning! I have a reason. It's like an instinct hate. The main character, a girl obviously, is going to be a Taurus. Taurus is the sign of the Bull. I figure, Bull, Ox, pretty similar. So it's like competition. So the whole story will be kind of like a new Zodiac family meets the Sohma Zodiac family. What do you guys think? _

_I'd love your opinion and I do hope you enjoy that LAST chapter of Panic!_

_Animic_

**

* * *

**

**XI**

**In Memoria**

* * *

Mikoto woke up from bed that morning. Everything seemed like such a dream. Her Aunt and Uncle were gone, and her mother was back. Her mother! It was unbelievable. She felt like the luckiest person alive! Ever! Everything seemed to be going good for her.

They were on break away from school so Mikoto could spend all of her time with her mother. Her mother had bought a house with the money that was in their bank account. Mikoto would have gotten it if her mother had actually died, but since she was still alive and Mikoto wasn't eighteen eight, she wasn't allowed to have it. However, now it could be spent.

Her mother got a part time job as a waitress and Mikoto even started working. Her Aunt and Uncle didn't let her have a job before. Her time was specific to them beating her but now she felt obligated to get a job. A girl from school named Tohru told her there was a janitor job opening in her building and even got her the job so Mikoto had been working there from now on.

Mikoto even got to decorate her own room. Her mother told her she could do it however she wanted. Mikoto had a recent obsessions with the colours black and white. Also, recently she's been dreaming a lot about cows for some reason. Mikoto didn't understand why but cows were all she dreamt about now so she figured it's her new favourite animal. Mikoto had a picture of a field with cows in them and even had a cow stuffed animal. Her bed sheets were black and white spotted, like a cow.

"Mikoto! Dinner's ready!" her mother called from the kitchen.

Her mother could only afford to get a two bedroom house with a kitchen, living room, and one bathroom. It just had the essentials and Mikoto was very satisfied with it. It was homey and nice and it just let her and her mother be closer than ever. Often, Mikoto slept with her mother even though she had her own room. It just had been so long since she'd seen her, she wanted to spend as much time with her as she could.

Mikoto skipped to the dinner table and sat down right next to it as Kimiko put some delicious smelling noodles on the table. "These smell delicious, mom. Thank you!"

It had been almost a month since Mikoto had moved in with her mother and they were already becoming a family again. Mikoto was so happy for once. She was breaking out of her shell finally and actually opening up to people. She had friends. She became close to a boy named Momiji who was in her class. He was so little that one would assume him to be in elementary school but low and behold, he was much older than that! He was so sweet and energetic though. Momiji always seemed to be a familiar friendly face to her. She felt comfortable around him.

Often, she stared at the white haired boy in her class. Haru Sohma. Apparently, he was related to Momiji. Mikoto never asked Momiji about Haru. She was afraid to be embarrassed. He just seemed to sad all the time. Mikoto always wondered why. Ever since he saved her that day, she still hadn't got the guts to go thank him. She didn't know why. Something held her back.

When Mikoto was finished with dinner, she stood with a large smile on her face. "I've got to go to work now, mom!" Her mother stood up and they hugged tight. "Thanks so much for dinner!"

"You're welcome, honey. Be safe!" Kimiko said.

Mikoto smiled. "I will. Thanks! You too!"

There was a definite change in Mikoto's personality ever since her mom came back. Everyone saw that. All of the people at her school seemed to notice. She was no longer the mysterious girl that hid and shied away from people. She was actually rather social and happy, and made friends. It was very new, but Mikoto enjoyed it. Her mother definitely rubbed off on her.

Hours later, she was finished with work and was walking out of the building with Tohru. "Thanks for getting me this job, Tohru! It means a lot!"

"Oh, don't worry about it. It was nothing. I'm just glad I could help!" smiled Tohru.

"You did much more than help, Tohru. I'm helping my mom out with these bills I bring in every week so you're helping my mom out too. She told me to thank you."

Tohru smiled. "Tell her she's more than welcome. Well, I go this way. Be safe, Mikoto. I'll see you on Tuesday, then?"

Mikoto nodded and waved to Tohru as she turned towards her house. Mikoto smiled and made her way back to her mothers house. There was a skip in her step. A skip that had never been present before. Mikoto was finally happy and cheerful. She hadn't been this happy since she was five.

She opened the door to her house and found Kimiko sitting down with a cup of hot chocolate, but there was someone else too. Someone else was holding a cup of hot chocolate. It was the mysterious white haired boy from before. Mikoto blinked a few times before she finally found words.

"H-haru. Hello," she said. It was slightly awkward. Why was he here? They had never spoken before. I mean, sure, he had saved her but Mikoto was still unsure why he did that in the first place. Mikoto had never really spoken to him before. It didn't really make any sense.

"You're home early," Kimiko said with a soft smile which Mikoto returned.

"Well, Tohru and I are a fast working team," Mikoto laughed. She went into the living room and took her coat off, placing it on the rack. "Is everything alright?"

Haru nodded. "Yes, it's fine. I was just talking with your mother. Do you mind if I talk with you too?"

Mikoto nodded. She was slightly bewildered. What on earth would he want to talk to her about? They barely spoke in school. Maybe it was something to do with Momiji. Maybe she did something to him without knowing. Oh, no! Mikoto hoped not!

"Is Momiji alright?!" she asked out without thinking.

Haru turned towards her and widened his eyes. "Oh, no, he's fine. He gives his regards and hopes your enjoying your holiday. Kimiko, would it be alright if we talked in her-"

"By all means," Kimiko said, nodding towards Mikoto's room. Mikoto glanced at her mother in bewilderment but her mother just nodded at her. Mikoto trusted her mom but she didn't know this Haru kid. She didn't know what kind of person he was. If what it was wasn't about Momiji, what else could it possibly be about?

So, Mikoto followed Haru into her room. She went to close the door and looked over at Haru. However, Haru seemed to be entranced in her room. He was looking at the cow stuffed animal and black and white spotted bed sheets along with the posters and pictures of cows.

"So….you like cows?" he asked with a small smile on his face.

Mikoto smiled sheepishly. "Yes, well, it's a bit of a recent obsession I suppose. I dream about them constantly. In fact, I think that's all I dream about."

"You….dream about cows?" Haru asked. His eyes were wide and they looked kind of a mix of emotion. Sad and happy. Mikoto squinted trying to read what he was thinking but it was kind of hard. He was such a mysterious person.

"Oh, yes. Frequently," Mikoto laughed a bit. "I'm not sure why but I've become a bit obsessed with them. Oh well, we all have that one weird thing about us I suppose." Haru nodded and continued to stare at all the cow merchandise she had in her room.

Haru was truly touched. Mikoto was fighting to remember, then. She was trying to remember everything that had been between them. That much was clear to Haru. Hope was starting to boil in Haru's veins. Maybe she would remember after all. If she could remember the cow of the Zodiac, maybe she'd remember him as well.

"I don't mean to sound weird, but you were in one of my dreams once as well," she said with a smirk.

"I was?" he asked in an extremely surprising tone.

"I know. Weird, right? Considering how I've scarcely talked to you since we've met but, what can you do, they're dreams right? You were sitting in a cow field with a bunch of other cows," Mikoto said. She laughed at the memory. She must have sounded so stupid. Haru sitting in a field with a bunch of cows, but she was telling the truth. "I'm sorry, my mouth has run away with me again. What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

Haru smiled as she told him of the dream. There was hope after all then. Maybe somehow Hatori sort of held back. That he didn't get rid of all of her memory. Haru didn't know. Maybe Mikoto was just fighting really hard. It didn't make much sense. Most people, once their memories are erased, well, they don't remember anything. Not a thing, but Mikoto seems to remember something. If not, he doubted she'd be dreaming about him and a bunch of cows.

"Uhm…." murmured Haru. His eyes were still on everything in her room. He was amazed. Haru turned around and looked her straight in the eye. There was a kind smile on her face. The smile he had never seen on her before she met her mother. Now, that smile was always there. She was happy. It made Haru's heart fill with warmth.

Without thinking, Haru walked towards her. He cupped her cheeks with his hands and placed a kiss on her lips. He just had to kiss her. Akito wasn't in charge anymore. Haru could do what he wanted, and what he wanted more than anything was her.

He didn't feel her kiss back, though. It didn't surprise him. Haru didn't understand why he thought that one kiss would make her remember anything. He was just getting his hopes up. Perhaps he should have let her gradually remember everything. She seemed to be doing fine, but Haru was impatient.

He ended the kiss and pulled away from her. Suddenly, Mikoto pulled him back. She grabbed his tie and pulled him close to her. Mikoto kissed him this time, passionately. She wrapped her arms under his arms and grabbed his shoulders on his back. Mikoto remembered. It was a little hazy, but she remembered. She remembered how Haru had been there for her. How Kazuma had taken care of her at the dojo. She remembered the amusement park, the talks with Hatsuharu. And she remembered the day he transformed when she hugged him. Wait.

Mikoto released the kiss and stared at Hatsuharu. "Why aren't you a cow?" she asked.

Haru was smiling now. He couldn't help it. He knew she didn't remember but she must have liked him at the moment. He was very happy. Then, he got slightly confused. "I'm not in your dream right now, Mikoto." He said with a laugh.

Mikoto shook her head. She hugged him and squeezed him tight but nothing happened. Why?! She didn't understand. "You're supposed to be a cow!" Haru was confused. No…did she remember?

"Do you remember?"

Mikoto leaned up at Haru and smiled. She pursed her lips together and bit the right side of her lip. "I remember. It's a bit hazy but…I do."

Hatsuharu couldn't contain his excitement. He placed a kiss on her once more and she kissed back happily. Mikoto hugged Hatsuharu once more and Haru squeezed her back.

"I'm never letting you get away again, Mikoto." Haru told her. Mikoto squeezed him back just as hard. She started to cry. When Haru heard her, he retracted a bit. "What's wrong?" asked Haru. He held out his hand and pushed the tears away with his thumbs.

"No…no. I'm just happy," she said with a smile. "These are happy tears. For once." Haru chuckled. "So…why aren't you a cow? You never answered me."

"Tohru broke the curse. Her and Kyo are together now. Apparently, the only way to break the curse was for someone to love Kyo. Which I thought would have been impossible."

Mikoto laughed and slapped Haru playfully. "Well, I'm glad. So….how's Akito? Is he okay?"

Haru nodded hesitantly. "Yeah….he repented. But…he is a she."

Mikoto frowned. "I don't understand."

"Akito is a woman apparently. Who would have thought?" Haru laughed slightly.

Mikoto widened her eyes. "Alright, then. So…is everything okay? Is it alright? I mean….they're not going to erase my memory again, are they?"

"No. Even if they tried, I would kill them," Haru said with a smile. He kissed her once more. He couldn't believe where he was. Mikoto remembered. He never needed anything else the rest of his life. All he wanted was for her to remember, and she did.

...And they all lived happily ever after.

**THE END**

* * *

_I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS STORY!_

_This is my FIRST ever Furuba fanfic. I hope it was alright. I wanted to give a personal tribute to all my reviewers! You give me such confidence and make me want to write. Personally, I want to thank Miyuki Sohma77. You've reviewed practically every chapter I wrote of this story and your words are so kind and uplifiting. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story!!_

_All of you! Thank you to ANYONE who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited this story! I appreciate anything. I'm just glad people are reading it and I'm not just taking up space. haha. _

_I hope you enjoyed this story and hopefully cross your fingers for more furuba fanfics from me. I think I'm hooked. :P haha. Bye bye, for now. _


	12. Authors Note: New Story

**Authors Note**

* * *

Hi, I just thought I should tell you guys. I AM planning on writing the American Zodiac but it will take me a bit of time. See, I like to be SUPER prepared before I write a story. Especially this one since I'm going to be introducing at the least 14 characters. Don't worry. I won't do them all at once. I don't want to overwhelm you. lol. No, it will be more gradual like the Fruits Basket meetings.

I've been doing profiles of each of the characters. All 14 of them. Yes, this one will have a God and a reject Zodiac. In case you guys didn't know, there IS a 13th Zodiac for the monthly ones. It lies between Scorpio and Sagittarius and it is called Ophiuchus, or Serpentarius. Look it up! I did research for it just to make sure. haha.

I have MOST of their profiles done. I still have to finish Capricorns and Ophiuchus. Their ages and genders are vaired and their God is just as bad as Akito, if not worse. *shivers* haha.

However, I wanted to make the setting in Japan and I wanted to have them live in Japan. So, we're just going to say that the American Zodiac family lives in Japan and Japan is just a very cursed place. haha.

Oh, by the way, their last name is Eto.

I'm trying to come up with a good title for it. If any of you have any suggestions, that'd be great. My default title is 'The Other Zodiac' but I want something more original.

These are just some I brainstormed. Perhaps you guys can come up with better ones.

**The Other Zodiac **_(rather not go with this one)_

**Cursed Constellations**_ (I like this one a lot! See, the American Zodiacs are all Star constellations)_

**Curse of the Stars** _(Meh, not my favorite)_

**Bewitched** _(hahaha. Kind of works though. Since they were cursed)_

That's it. I'm out of ideas. haha. I'm trying to come up with something that has to do with a curse. The Zodiac. Monthly Zodiac. I don't know. I do like Cursed Constellations. I may go with that one but I will LOVE to get other ideas.

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading, by the way! I promise I will write this! I'm very excited. I just need some time, but it will get done.

It will be a long fic, though. Considering I have 14 characters to introduce and I want to introduce all of them. I hope you guys will like this story. I've thought a lot into it so. Yay! haha.

Gimme your title ideas if you have any! :D Thanks, again!


End file.
